


Behind the Counter

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Captive, Chains, Collar, Harold the clerk, M/M, Obedience, Obsession, Pet, Possessed, Possession, Scary, Serial Killer, Sex Slave, Victim - Freeform, captor, clerk - Freeform, forced pet, hostage, leash, slave - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22487932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A simple, convenience store clerk turns out to be a serial killer, and the chocobros become his next victims.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

They stopped at the little convenience store every time they left the city. Prompto got a soda, Ignis got his coffee, Gladio got his noodles, and Noctis would keep sleeping in the car. The clerk was always the same guy. Normal, average joe who gave Ignis discounts because of how often they came in. 

"Thank you," the clerk dipped his head as Ignis paid. 

"And thank you," Ignis said. "Have a nice day."

Prompto nearly tackled him out the door for his snacks. The clerk waited patiently behind the counter as the sounds of laughter faded behind the glass door. Their fancy black car started up and pulled out into the road. The store lapsed into his routine silence. The clerk hummed as he casually made his way to the front. He locked the door and turned the open sign over.

His hand found a small button beneath the counter. He clicked it and, under the rug at his feet made a shifting noise - soft but audible. He kicked aside the carpet, and beneath was a hatch and a cold draft that came up from a ladder. It descended into the dark. The clerk smiled as he tucked himself down into the bunker, clicking on wire hanging from the ceiling. A lightbulb flickered on. The basement of the convince store lit up in a soft, yellow glow. The ground was dirt, and the walls were wood and metal. Pipe was lining the ceiling. 

From the pipes hung chains. Below that, was bucket and dog bed. Empty dishes had been laying on their side for too long, the clerk thought. His last pet died weeks ago, and he'd been seriously considering a high-risk target. He thought about the man again, and the other three he was always with. The clerk couldn't stop smiling. He let the chains jingle beneath his hands. 

"I need to prepare," he muttered to himself. "Yeah. Prepare." 

He looked at the bowls, stooped to turn them upright and wondered how he should treat this new victim. This man was different. He would be different than the rest of his failures.

This one would be _the one._


	2. Chapter 2

The hunt had been long and grueling. It even made Gladio work up a sweat, the big shield finishing off the last of his water bottle as the regalia swept down the road. He ran a hand through his hair. Around him, the outside breeze was cooling everyone off. Prompto was laying halfway out the window of the open-top, and Noct was trying to sleep in the cramped side of the passenger seat. Ignis took a sip of his ebony, finding the can nearly empty. 

"Pit stop?" Prompto suddenly asked, as if reading Ignis' mind. "I gotta, like, go. Right now."

"Don't piss yourself, that mart is right up the road," Gladio said. 

And he was right. The little white building came into view; tucked away into a concrete slab, wired fencing, and wilderness. The regalia came to an easy stop. Ignis asked Noct if he'd be so kind as to get gas. The prince groaned and rolled off his side, making a scene as he exited the vehicle and took Ignis' card. The other three went into the store, Prompto making a bee-line for the restroom in the back. 

"Gotta go! Gotta go!" He was muttering as he disappeared behind the blue door.

Gladio rolled his eyes and picked out a few snacks for their board game night in the hotel. 

"Good evening," Ignis greeted the clerk, wondering if he and the others must have looked a bit roughed-up. They had just fought a few daemons underground. He couldn't look prim and proper all the time. But the clerk only smiled, greeted him back, and went back to counting the cash he'd been pulling from the register. Ignis left him alone with his calculator and sought his ebony. And maybe some juice boxes for Noctis and Prompto, he mused, looking at all the different flavors. 

He didn't notice the clerk staring at him. Didn't notice how the man kept making quick glances at the car, or how he seemed to be building up the nerve to ask something. Gladio noticed though, and wandered over, setting a hand on the counter and eliciting the clerk's attention. 

"Something on your mind?" the shield asked, in all his casual dominance. 

"Oh, I didn't mean to seem rude, I just, well, you're hunters, right?" 

"Yeah? Why? You need something dead?"

"I'm not exactly sure what needs to be killed - daemons, I think - but yes. I could pay you for the trouble."

"A job?" Ignis asked, as he walked over, drinks in hand. He laid them out on the counter. "What could we help you with, sir?"

The clerk lost his touch of nerves, smiling at Ignis with an eager nod. "If you could get rid of whatever comes out of those backwoods at night, I'd be forever in your debt."

"And what would the pay look like?"

"Galdio!" Ignis scolded. "I'm sorry. Of course, we can help you. You've given us free groceries and gas on many occasions. It's the least we could do to help. Right?" he asked pointedly towards Gladio. The shield nodded with a defeated sigh. 

"Daemons are daemons. Do you know anything about it?"

"I haven't seen it, but I sometimes stay late to do inventory. I couldn't leave the parking lot one night after dark. I couldn't see it, but it was strong enough to knock my car around. Something loud too. I locked myself inside until the sun came up. I hate working out here alone, but, the boss hasn't listened to me."

"Really? Sounds like our expertise."

"You all could stay the night in the trailer space across the road. The boss lives there in the summer, but he's halfway across the country right now. Take it for the night, free of charge." The clerk gestured out the window. The small white camper looked idyllic where it sat near the lip of the mountainside. 

"Fine. I'll go tell Noctis," Gladio left, leaving Ignis to pay for the snacks.

"Oh no, please," the clerk pushed Ignis' offered money away. "You really would be doing me a favor, staying here tonight. All of your supplies are on me."

"I couldn't. Wouldn't your boss-"

"He's more like a friend to me than anything else," the clerk continued. "Please, I insist."

Ignis nodded, gathering his things. He looked at the clerk's name-tag, just to make sure he had the name right. "Thank you, Harold."

"It was my pleasure."

***

"I would have preferred to stayed in a hotel," Noctis mumbled as the four of them gathered in the parking lot. The sun was starting to set. 

"We're here to help a citizen of your kingdom, Noctis. Remember that," Ignis reminded him. 

The clerk had left a few hours ago, leaving the lot empty. The store lights still buzzed incessantly in the growing darkness. Noctis had to brace himself against the slight breeze. It was getting really cold. He had a bad feeling about this. 

"Maybe we should wait until morning and explore the land a bit, see if we can find out what it is?" Noct suggested. 

"We shouldn't waste anymore time here," Gladio argued. "Let's just kill the damn thing and get it over with."

"And then we can go to bed, right?" Prompto whined. He looked barely on his feet. 

"And then we can go to bed," Ignis nodded. "Let's just start by patrolling the area in twos. Harold said it attacked a few hours after sun down, so we may have to be patient."

"How do we know it wasn't just a one-time fluke?" Noct asked. "The daemon might not even show up again."

"Can we just go, so we can go to bed?" Prompto asked, stumbling forward and taking Gladio by the arm. "You gotta be my eyes and ears, Gladio, my man."

"Maybe we should let you just go to bed," the shield said. 

"And let my bros kill this thing alone?" Prompto gained a little pep in his step and started a near-jog. "I'm gonna kill it before you, Noct!" 

Noct laughed, straightening up a little too. "In your dreams, chocobutt! Come on, Iggy, let's go find the monster before they do."

"Gladly."

***

The monster was no where to be found. Ignis and Prompto had circled around the South side a few dozen times in the last three hours. Every time they met up with Noctis and Gladio, both pairs had the same result: no sightings of any kind. Ignis wondered if they should put up a few camera before leaving in the morning. He didn't expect the monster tonight, but he still beleived the clerk's story. Daemons could appear literally anywhere though. It might never pop back up here again. 

"You might have be right, Gladio," he confessed on the fifth hour. 

"Damn right I was."

Noctis had fallen asleep several times while walking. Ignis had almost kept walking on without him before realizing he was slumped agaisnt a tree and snoring. Gladio explained that Prompto hadn't been faring any better either. Not to mention, their hadn't been a lick of suspicious activity. 

"Let them go to bed. I'm going to take a rest in the lot to wait and see if anything happens," Ignis sighed. "I don't feel right leaving that man to work in fear. Daemons are nasty things."

"Yeah, I'll hang out with ya. I already kicked Prompto off to the trailer."

"Noctis left on his own accord," Ignis sighed. "I don't think I could sleep if I wanted to. The constant traveling has been very dragging."

"I can tell. Ebony ain't always gonna be there to help you out."

"I know." Ignis managed a tired smile. He and Gladio sat at the patio off to the edge of the property. They could see the lights on in the trailer.

"They're barely adults," he muttered. 

"It sucks, but what are you gonna do?" Gladio shrugged. 

Ignis ignored him. Of course the shield wouldn't understand. But he was worried about Noctis and Prompto. Mostly Noctis. Being as young as he was and holding the burden of the Lucis line on his shoulders. He decided that they should spend the next few days in Lestallum. He had some extra gil, and thought he and Prompto might like to use it at the arcade. Ignis might have thought it a waste, before the war. 

Gladio and him passed the time with infrequent, conversation. Mostly, they lapsed into silence, listening and waiting like guard dogs in the night. Ignis was nearly loosing himself to sleep when the sound of shattering glass jolted him awake. He was on his feet, beside Gladio and running around the side of the building. Their weapons out, they caught sight of a bloody mess - like something had exploded into the shop's window. 

Ignis scowled, glass shards and blood speckles at his feet. Gladio was running over to investigate despite Ignis' call for caution. In the store, lay a half-eaten pig's head. It was sliced by the broken window, bowling into a stack of canned drinks from whatever had thrown it. Ignis spun to face the dark of the woods. His lance shone dangerously before him, his sharp eyes scanning for a threat. There was nothing, but the sound of his breath. 

"Creepy," Gladio said, feet crunching through the glass. 

"Indeed. Perhaps we should let the boys know, and wait until morning. Something feels very wrong."

"Yeah, I feel my bones creeping too. Noctis was right. We need more information."

Ignis agreed and they left for the trailer. His eyes never left the dark of the woods. It felt like something was watching, and he almost went back to face the thing head on. Whatever it was, it kept him from doing so. Ignis was happy when he shut the door of the trailer behind him and snapped the lock closed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was a close tie between Ignis and Prompto - but I guess you guys wanna see Ignis suffer the most. I may or may not make the rest suffer, still figuring out where I want this to go. Any suggestions? Leave them in the comments, and thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean the regalia's tires are slashed?" Noctis fumed. 

"And the engine," Gladio grumbled. "Something fucked with the engine last night."

"Oh shit," Prompto squeaked. "First that pig head, now this. This is how every horror movie on Eos starts, guys!" 

"Everyone calm down," Ignis ordered. He was on his third can of Ebony. He'd just got done speaking with the clerk, who showed up bright and early about twenty minutes ago. He seemed terrified to find the glass shattered. Gladio had left Iggy to deliver the news, and came back with even more bad news.

"We should call Cindy, we can't leave the regalia just sitting here," Noct said. 

"You're welcome to stay in the trailer again," the clerk said. 

"It wouldn't hurt to try and figure out what's been haunting this lot," Ignis muttered. "Prompto, you have your camera?"

The device was already out of Noct's armiger, taking a snap of Iggy mid-sentence. The cameraman grinned behind the lense. 

"Excellent. We're going to document anything we find in the surrounding area. Gladio, we may need more potions. I'd feel better if we were stocked fully."

"Sure, I'll see if Cindy can pick us up. If not, Cor will."

"Thank you. Don't worry, Harold. We're not leaving you to deal with this mess alone."

"Oh thank you!" The clerk said. "The boss told me to keep the store closed to the public. He don't want anyone else getting caught up in this. But... I'll be inside, cleaning. The boss already has a big list of things for me to do while the doors are closed. Snacks, drinks. Seriously."

"Thank you," Ignis said again, starting to feel a little awkward. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

The clerk nodded one more time, then went inside to start on his duties. Igniswatched him go, then turned back to his duties. He didn't notice the clerk once more stare at him through the glass. Didn't see the man fold the blinds so they couldn't see him as he unlatched his hidden door and climbed down the ladder. Harold couldn't stop grinning. He was so close. Tonight, he thought. Tonight was the night. 

Harold stomped down into the dirt. The pen area was set up perfectly, and he'd just filled the doggie bowls. His pet would need it tonight. He grabbed a small bag sitting on the table, rummaging through it and making sure he had everything in place. Nerves made his hands shaky. He didn't want this one to get away. And it was such a high-risk, taking his pet home with so many witnesses around. 

He turned, passing by a headless pig carcass hanging by chains from the ceiling. He started to cut at its legs, eager to finish before the sun set.

***

The crickets chirped. The moon sat glowing in the dark, a few clouds making its light dim. Prompto hopped along behind Ignis, trying to ignore the soreness in his legs. They'd been at this haf the day. But at least Iggy made him take a nap a few hours before sun down. Now, he held his gun rather than his camera. He hoped this was the last night they were doing this. 

"So, what kind of thing eats pigs and throws around the body parts?" he asked, looking around the forest. 

"The kind that know we're here to kill it," Ignis answered. His nose crunched. "That horrid smell must mean we're close to something."

There was a snap of a branch. They both spun on their heels, on guard against the shadows. Prompto laughed at their jumpiness.

"Man, I wish it'd just attack us and get it over with."

"Not sure I feel the exact same, but yes, daemons don't normally play hide and seek," Ignis muttered. "This one does."

"Maybe if we-" Prompto's suggestion was cut off by a scream. Ignis whipped around so fast, he thought he gave himself whiplash. Prompto was gone. A few leaves fluttered where he'd been. Ignis' spear glinted in the moonlgiht as he ran forward. 

"Don't come closer!" Prompto's voice stopped him in his tracks. He felt the ground slope a bit downward. It was soft. He leaned forward and saw that the grass and foliage had broken away to reveal a hole. A smell was coming up from it. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... but like... Oh Shiva! Oh gross! I think it's the things meat hole! There's blood and shit down here! Oh fuck, there's another pig!" 

Ignis could barely see anything. "How far down is it? Can you climb?"

"I... I don't think so. My leg is kind of fucked. I think I sprained it."

"Damn," Ignis pulled back, leaning heavily on his heels as he tried to figure out his best course of action. "I'll call Gladio and have them bring us rope. I'll keep you company until then."

"Yeah, I don't want to be here alone." Prom's voice was shaky, but he seemed okay for now. 

Ignis took out his cell and the screen lit up his glasses. Just as he unlocked the screen, he heard another twig snap. Ignis turned to look, but whatever it was, was fast. He saw a blur of dark and pain bloomed in his face. Ignis dropped his phone, glasses crunching agaisnt the bridge of his nose. He tried to summon his weapon, but earned a solid blow to the gut. He dropped to his knees and saw a pair of dark boots. He could hear Prompto screaming for him. 

Then something snapped into the back of his neck, and Ignis was out cold. 


	4. Chapter 4

Prompto was miserable. It had been hours since the sun came up, and Noctis and Gladio still hadn't returned from the woods. He'd been set up in the trailer with his sprained ankle, unable to walk or help. He buried his face in his pillow for the hundredth time to scream his frustrations, watching out the window for them to return with the advisor. He felt it was all his fault. 

He'd gotten caught in that monster's trap and let Ignis get eaten! He screamed again, and when he looked up, he saw the prince trudging out of the woods. He looked defeated. Gladio followed out behind him, calling out something. Noct jogged the rest of the way to the trailer. Prompto tried to act as held together as possible. 

"You didn't find him?"

Noctis shook his head. He looked Prompto up and down. "Don't blame yourself, Prom. Okay? It could have been anyone of us."

Prompto really tried to school his face. "I'm not! But... I wish I could help you guys search."

"Just worry about getting that leg healed," Noctis told him. "We're not leaving this lot until we find Ignis."

Prompto nodded. That's right. Ignis hadn't been wounded. They found no blood around the pit of.... pig parts. Upon further inspection, though, they found human bones. All their faces went pale and Prompto had started hyperventilating. Some calm part of his mind noted that it was good they hadn't noticed _while_ stuck down there. It became apparent that something evil was living in the woods, feasting on human and animal. 

Ignis was next. 

Prompto had to shake his head to stop rethinking over the memory. He'd felt shitty ever since. But Noct was being so reassuring and strong despite loosing the man who practically raised him. That thought was enough to get him to sit up a little straighter and stop the wobble in his lip. 

"You're right." He nodded. "We'll find him. Where's Gladio, by the way?"

"He's explaining the situation to that creepy clerk," Noct said. 

"He's alright," Prompto said, scrambling back to look out the window. Noctis bent down to look with him, chin on Prompto's shoulder. They could see Gladio through the store's wide glass windows. He was leaned over on the counter with his hands splayed. He had his head bent. He looked really tired. The clerk was leaned forward, talking to him. He, too, looked worried. 

"He had a bit of a freak-out, out there," Noctis suddenly said. 

Prompto looked at him. "Is he okay?"

"I don't think he'll be okay until Ignis is back. He really freaked me out, to be honest. I thought he was gonna, like, break his hands or something."

"What was he doing?"

"Punching trees. He broke several of them before his hands got all fucked up." 

Prompto looked out the window again. He saw the bandages wrapped around Gladio's hands. "Damn."

"Yeah. Damn, is right. When we find this daemon..." he paused, looked at the gunman and grabbed his shoulders. "Prompto, I promise I'll find Ignis. But promise me that you'll be careful while you're out here. I know Gladio won't be in the lot that often, and I won't either. If you need anything - at all - summon your gun three times fast."

Prompto took his hands in his own and held them between them. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere. And I know for a fact, that that monster will be no match against you. But, still, be careful."

"I will." Noctis pulled him into a hug. "I love you, Prom."

"I love you too, Noct." Prompto hugged him back. 

Then, the prince reluctantly left the trailer. Prom watched him through the glass as he headed for the store. He immediately went into 'princely mode' and looked like he did on the battlefield during a serious fight. Feeling anxious from being left out of the search party, Prompto laid down to take a nap. Noctis had already asked him to sleep during the day so that he could be alert at night - if the daemon came into the lot. 

He's pretty sure Noctis was a little freaked to find him in the bone pit, of all places. Prompto let that happy thought go, and closed his eyes. Sleep was really hard to come by. 

***

When Ignis woke up, it was in a dark, cold place. He was laying on his side, crumpled into the soft fabric of a cushion. His neck hurt. He craned his head up as he tried to open his exhausted eyes, a hand reaching out to instinctively grab his glasses. His eyes snapped wide open when he saw that both hands had been bound tightly into black mits. 

Ignis sat up. Chains clattered. A collar was sat tightly against his throat. There was the weight of a latch on the back, and the cold metal of a connecting chain that drooped before leading up into the metal rafters. More chains hung above him. He looked around wildly, and saw two green, plastic dog bowls. One was filled with dusty water. The other had been filled with dog kibble. 

Ignis tried to stand up. The chain pulled too taut to allow it, only giving his legs enough room to bend awkwardly. He couldn't summon his weapon - he had no use of his fingers. The mitts flailed helplessly against his bonds. And then he realized that he wasn't alone. Someone had been standing in the shadows, off to the side the whole time. Ignis went rigidly stiff and stared at the man. 

It... it was the clerk?

"What is this? What's going on here?" Ignis demanded, anger flooding his voice. 

The clerk - _Harold,_ Ignis' foggy mind supplied - started to chuckle. Then that chuckling turned to full-blown laughter and the man nearly doubled over on himself. Ignis stared, revolted. He yanked at the chain, trying to stand and being forced onto his knees as the collar tightened and choked him. Harold wiped at his eyes and circled around Ignis, looking very pleased. 

"I'm so happy to finally see you in your place, here at my feet," Harold finally said. 

Ignis was appalled. "Excuse me?" his voice rose. "I belong at no one's _feet!_ " He yanked again, and again, trying to rip off the mits with his teeth. 

"Feisty," Harold tutted. "Hot, but right now, I need obedience."

Ignis' face went beet red. "Did you just-? When my colleagues discover what you've done-"

"A dog doesn't speak!" Harold came forward, more into the light as he cut off Ignis with a stomp of his boots. Ignis pulled back, realizing how tall Harold was. An older man, reddish hair, a big nose, but hardly recognizable in a crowd. "A dog listens to its Master and does as it's told."

Ignis looked down. The clerk was holding a large hunting knife. He pressed himself back into the pole, the leash tightening as Harold grabbed a seemingly random chain above him and pulled. Ignis choked, his uselessly bound hands coming up to scrape at the collar. Harold walked up to him. Ignis could only kick out at his legs, trying to keep him back. Harold pulled the chain hard. Ignis was forced to stop kicking, or risk suffocating. He slumped down into the pole. 

"There we go, atta boy. Such beautiful eyes, too." Harold said, reaching down to cup Ignis' face.

Ignis jerked away. The hand grabbed his hair and yanked it back, forcing him to look up. The smell of toothpaste wafted heavily into Ignis' nose. He closed his eyes. He got a severe shake of the head, and opened them back up with a headache. 

"What do you want from me?" Ignis asked. _Not this. This couldn't possible be it,_ he thought hopelessly. 

"Shoooosh," Harold shushed him, bringing up the knife to rest it on Ignis' chest, right above his suit's collar. "I'll allow a few slip ups here and there, but when I ask you to do something, I expect complete obedience. I want loyalty, Ignis."

He stooped his head low and licked the advisor up the side of the face. Ignis reeled back, shoving Harold away. He earned a nasty cut on his collarbone for it and was pinned, hands above his head, against the pole. Harold pinned him further by spreading his legs out over Ignis' lap. He ground his crotch into his captive's stomach and moaned in his ear. Ignis held his face away the entire time. 

"Look at me." Harold leaned back, giving Ignis the space to obey.

The advisor didn't look. He sucked in a scream as the knife came back and crossed a perpendicular line over the first. Harold ground into him again, and redirected the blade to his other collarbone. 

"Look at me." 

Ignis sucked in another breath, almost screaming as the blade dug in a little deeper this time. 

"Look at me."

Ignis closed his eyes, bracing for another cut. He gasped as the front of his shirt was cut open. It floundered open, straight down the middle. Buttons popped away and rolled into the dark. 

"No, no please!" Ignis didn't think of himself as a begger. But feeling Harold fondle his nipples, trying to push the clerk away as the man easily man-handled him to his liking, he felt no shame in it. Not as much as the feeling that he was allowing this man to do this. Ignis had never felt so helpless. "Please! I'll listen! Just don't touch me!" 

A hand gripped the back of his hair, ripping his head back. A mouth attacked his throat. A wet tongue licked stripes up and down his neck. 

"A master can touch his dog how he pleases," Harold growled. "Use human words one more time, and you'll be sorry."

The knife tore his jacket away, leaving it hanging by his shoulders. Harold ripped it the rest of the way off. Then he went for Ignis' belt. Ignis kicked out with his partially freed legs, and managed to free one. He aimed for the clerk's face and landed a solid landing to his chin. Harold spun away, gripping at his face. 

"You little bitch!" Harold whirled with a scream.

Ignis looked down at the knife that had fallen by his knees. Harold saw him look, and both jumped for it at the same time. Ignis snagged the handle between his teeth and rolled sideways. The blade cut into Harold's arm as he fell over in shock. Ignis' head was punched into the floor. His entire jaw flashed in pain, each tooth aching at once. He released the weapon and felt himself go limp in the dirt. There was a slow scuffling beside him. Then Harold grabbed the knife. There was the sound of chains, and Ignis was hauled up with a choked off shout.

He glared at Harold from where he hung, back to the pole with the man dangling to knife in front of him. Harold was smiling again. And he was very hard. 

"Oh, what a treat you are, my Ignis. All my other pets, each one was so easy to train, after you got them to stop barking all the time. But you ~ You're a fighter. Like a wolf, aren't you? A beautiful beast."

A hand came up, and went to fondle Ignis' chest. Ignis wretched away as best he could, but his body was pulled taut by the chain. His arms were pressing against the pole behind him, trying to keep him from choking. He glared at Harold as the man tweaked his nipple. And then the chain was released. Harold kicked the dogbed back under Ignis, letting his form crumple into it. He reached down to pet at his hair. 

"Those friends of yours are hanging out." Ignis' tried to ignore the stale smell of sweat and piss and feces in the dog bed. He listened closely to what the clerk was saying. "They're really worried about you. The two dark haired ones, they're like you, aren't they? Wolves. Wild beasts that only a true Master can tame. They seem like they'd like to be reunited with you."

Ignis felt his pateience snap. He turned his head and try and bite off those fingers shifting through his hair like lice. Harold laughed, stepping back into the dark. 

"Like a true wolf indeed." He turned to go up the ladder. "I have to speak to the large, tattooed one. Gladio, you called him. I like that. We can get all your names engraved on special collars, hm?"

"Don't touch them!" Ignis shouted. "Don't you dare do a damn thing to any of them!" 

"I'll be back later to fix that mouth of yours," Harold said happily. "I can't wait to see you submit."

He left before Ignis could fully process what his parting words were. They made his stomach turn to lead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly! The votes for Prompto to be the victim just surpassed Ignis! But I already wrote Ignis, so I guess I'm doing both. Somehow, someway, Harold will be traumatizing two chocobros in that cellar. Hell, maybe I'll do the whole squad. I don't know.
> 
> Let me know what you think, or if you have suggestions! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

The clerk didn't come back down for a while. Long enough, that Ignis began to get hungry. His stomach growled and his eyes flickered to the bowl of kibble. He rolled his eyes and looked away. He was really thirsty though, and worried how long it'd be before he was on his knees drinking like a... dog. He grimaced, shaking with disgust. 

His neck hurt from being tugged on. He'd been tugging on it more, long after Harold left. He'd screamed for a while too. Harold said he had to go talk to Gladio, so he hoped he was somewhere they could hear him. He gave up with a hoarse throat. Hours later, when the cellar door opened, it wasn't any of his friends who came down the ladder. Harold had a bag tucked under his arm. Ignis eyed it warily as he marched over with a skip in his step.

"You're little friends have been running around looking for you," Harold said casually. He went over to the table far off to the side. Ignis heard the zipper open. 

"What are you doing?" Ignis dared to ask. He knew it would piss Harold off, and his anger got the better of him. He wanted to swallow his words when Harold turned around with a ball gag. He wrestled it onto Ignis. But the other was tired and worn out. Ignis found it hard to breath as the black ball parted his lips and clicked against his teeth. Harold was practically on top of him as he looped the belt behind his head. Ignis started to drool, and the humiliation turned him red. 

"I also got this, custom-made a few weeks ago," Harold said, holding up a little metal ring.

A flat token was hanging on the end, with _Ignis_ engraved in the middle in green. A little bell rung beneath it. Harold had to physically hold Ignis' head down with his knee to attach it. When he let go, Ignis sat up, the bell chiming in the little cellar. Ignis felt like he might cry. He hadn't cried since he was three. So instead, he mustered he nastiest glare he could. He wanted Harold to know that he wasn't scared of him. 

"Very cute," the clerk chuckled. He regarded him a moment, as if amused, and then patted his cheek twice. "You'll be wearing that gag until you learn how to speak like a real dog... Now, to get rid of those human clothes and start your training."

"Hmp?!" Ignis mumbled behind his gag.

He tried to escape, but was picked up by the chain and pressed into the pole. He squirmed like a pinned bug as Harold cut away the rest of his sleeves.

Ignis' belt was flung off into the far corner. His underwear and pants were pulled down at the same time. Cold air hit his cock. Ignis tried to cross his legs, but Harold tutted as he flipped him over and onto his back. He opened Ignis' legs with his own. 

"There's that pretty cock of mine," Harold cooed. "Damn. What a fucking catch," he mumbled, as if to himself, hands coming back down to feel up Ignis' now bare body. "I can't believe you're all mine." He ground his hips a little. "I feel like I could cum right here, just humping you."

Ignis screamed profanities behind his gag. More drool dribbled down his cheek. That upset him even more. 

Hands gripped his arms and pulled them down to his sides. Harold made sure they were pinned under his knees too. Ignis struggled, but could do not more than look up at the clerk and his leering grin. He stilled, chest heaving, and waited as the man brandished his knife again. Sweat broke out against his neck. 

"I don't like using the ol' blade if I don't have too, Ignis. It's for temporary submission. No, I have a better plan in store for you. But first..."

The ball gag came off. In the short time he'd had it on, the advisor's jaw ached. He watched as it was dropped onto the dog bed. Then, as if in a show of good will, Harold held up both hands and backed off of Ignis completely. Ignis felt like he could breath again, watching warily as the clerk took a few steps back. Harold waited a few seconds, as if making sure he had his captive's full attention, then put away the knife. 

"I'm going to teach you a new trick. And you're not resting until you learn it. I'll give you one chance to be a good, loyal boy and obey. Do you understand, Ignis? There will be no pain involved if you're good. But only one chance." 

He smiled. Then, held out a boot, the heel to the ground. 

"Lick my boots." 

Ignis immediately spit in the clerk's direction. He managed to lob it onto Harold's pants, and had a small moment of satisfaction. Then it evaporated when he realized that Harold was smiling even wider at him. The clerk laughed and Ignis choked as his chain was once more yanked down. 

"That's my beautiful beast," Harold cooed, stomping on the chain and holding it down. Ignis' toes just scraped the floor. "Gonna make me work for that respect, huh? I suppose you're use to pain, then?"

Ignis spit at Harold again, bitterly trying to get that damn, smug smile off his face. It was driving him as mad as the collar around his neck. Harold waggled a finger at him like he was some silly misbehaving kid, and shoved the ball gag back between his teeth. 

Ignis hung there as his chain was lowered enough that he could just about kneel. Then it was bolted into the ground. Harold used some rope to tie his legs off and separate them, binding them to the pole. Ignis was fiercely red in the face, both furious and embarrassed. His legs began to shake as he struggled to stand on his toes, his collar keeping him upright.

Harold then went to grab his bag. He knelt under Ignis' struggling form and pulled out a very large dildo. Ignis was stunned into freezing, and staring at the rather large sex toy that the clerk was excitedly positioning under him. Ignis began to panic when he felt the plastic head rub against his ass. A hand grabbed his hip to hold him still as Harold lined it up with his hole. Ignis began to feel a cold sweat run down his back. His legs lifted, taking him as far from the toy as they could. But he couldn't see the damn thing. 

He wanted to cursed the clerk as the man stood up and wiped his hands; as if to say, job well done. Ignis screamed some muffled insults when the man continued to just stare and admire. 

"I'll be back later tonight. Think about whether or not you'll be using that tongue to shine my leather."

Harold carded his fingers through Ignis' hair. A parting gesture before and left, shutting the cellar door and leaving Ignis in the dark. 


	6. Chapter 6

Gladiolus didn't like that clerk guy. He had always been weird around Ignis. Hell, he wouldn't put it past the man to have taken Ignis himself. But, he dashed that thought away. Ignis could pound that dude into the dirt any day. 

Gladio's stomach turned like it always did when he thought about the advisor. And not in the good way. It was nearing the third day since Ignis disappeared, and they had nothing to show for it. Prompto's sprained ankle had turned out to be a broken bone, and Noctis was running low on his magic reserves. He couldn't keep looking like Gladio had been. and both had hardly slept a wink.

But Galdio's body had to give out eventually, and he finally arrived back to the lot. He felt defeated, and wondered if looking was hopeless endeavor. He found Prompto picking at his makeshift cast and Noctis changing in the bathroom. He sat down with a tired sigh and smacked Prompto's hand away. 

"Leave it alone. You don't want to be bed-ridden for even longer.Cor said he could come pick you up in the next few days and take you to a Lestallum doctor. He has medical cards that'll keep you from being identified." Gladio explained. 

The shield ignored Prompto's pout. He, too, wouldn't be happy to be left out of the search party. But he was nothing but a sitting target, unable to help himself if trouble came. The clerk had been (as Prom put it) nice enough to let them stay rent-free. But he almost couldn't help but blame the guy for dragging Ignis into his plea for help. They had enough evil to worry about already. They didn't need someone else's baggage. 

Gladio realized his leg was shaking. He shook his head, and stood up. He had wanted to lay down, but he couldn't. His body was suddenly wired and he wanted to go look for Ignis again. 'But where?' he asked himself. 'You've looked fuckin' everywhere.' He noticed Prompto was staring at him and suppressed the urge to ask what, rudely, what he was looking at. He couldn't help but blame Prompto a little bit too. Had the kid just been watching his feet...

Gladio sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna go grab some waters," he lied, intending to take a lap around the lot. He saw Prompto shift and open his mouth out of the corner of his eye. But then the gunman turned back to the window and let him go. Gladio opened the door and found the clerk there already, hand raised to knock. 

"Oh, excuse me, Gladio," the clerk said it like they were old friends. The shield's lip curled. 

"What do you need?"

"I can't stay on the property. I have to run down to collect a shipment. The boss wouldn't allow me to let you stay on the premise without my supervision, but you'll be okay for three days or so?"

Gladio's stomach turned again. Would they have to be searching that long? It'd been three days already. He couldn't bare to think where, or how, Ignis was right now. 

"Yeah, we'll be fine."

"Good. I left my number taped to the front door," his thumb jerked towards the store. "Um, call if you need anything." 

Harold hesitated a moment, looking Gladio up and down. Feeling uncomfortable, Gladio shut the door in his face and went back to sit down by Prompto. 

"Where's he going?' Prompto asked, watching the clerk wander back towards his usual spot. 

"Don't know, don't care." 

As soon as he saw that the clerk was back behind his counter and out of the lot, Gladio was back out the door. 

***

Ignis' leg hurt horribly. They had almost gone numb with it. His throat hurt so badly, he wasn't sure he'd be able to speak for weeks. The sounds of the chains pulling and the footsteps above his head were his new reality. Harold came down everyone and then to stare at him, lighting a cigarette and smoking in the far corner. Ignis had slid halfway onto the dildo, and his ass was throbbing as badly as his legs. Harold couldn't stop smiling when he saw Ignis had impaled himself. 

It was on the first day, after several hours of hard-fought leverage. The ball gag was removed, but before Harold could issue his order, Ignis spit on him. Harold put the gag back in, petted his face and told him he looked good fighting not to fuck himself. Ignis was pushed back against the pole. Hands pushed down on his shoulders and Ignis cried out behind the plastic as he was sunken all the way to the hilt. His spine burned. He snarled like an animal at Harold and mentally berated himself for doing so. The man got a hard on every time he did something remotely animalistic. But, damn him, it was so hard not to go mad with in the clerk's presence! 

The second day, Ignis had fully settled on the toy and fell asleep with it inside him. He was awoken by Harold licking at his face and neck, rubbing at his ass and telling him how good he looked on it. Ignis head-butted him. Harold pulled on his chain, yanking him off the toy. It hurt as badly as it had entering, and a horrible, aching emptiness settled there. Then Harold withdrew an even longer, wider dildo. This one the size of the clerk's fist. 

Ignis shook his head, feeling his will crumbling. Harold unbuckled his ball gag, and asked him again. 

"Are you going to be a good boy and lick my boots?"

Ignis, in the perfect position to do so, spit in the clerk's face, reaching out while he wiped it away. Ignis could feel the hard on already, and latched onto his nose with his teeth. He bit down as hard as he could. A pain throbbed through his jaw. But the clerk screamed, and Ignis bit harder. A hand came to the latch at his collar and yanked, hard. Ignis choked and lost his grip. Blood splattered over his face and was left dripping down the clerk's. He looked pissed. 

"I'm not your bloody dog!" Ignis growled. "I won't be licking your dirty boots, you pig!" 

The smile that usually bounced back didn't come. Harold looked up at the cellar door, then back to Ignis. 

"I've been too soft on you," he finally said. "You're definitely not one of the usual mutts I pick up. I'll have to really make you think about your place." 

Ignis fought back as hard as he could, but he was wrestled back into the kneeling position with his ass hanging over the even bigger dildo. He already felt his weak legs ache. He was so hungry, so weak. Harold had lifted the water bowl to his lips a few times, and the water tasted like dirty plastic. His dry tonged slid under the gag. He wanted some of it now. But Harold took out a blindfold and wrapped it around Ignis' already blurred sight. 

"I'm going to take a short trip. You stay here, and think about where your loyalties lie, Ignis."

Ignis shouted muffled, weak curses behind his gag, defiant all the way until the cellar door shut closed. He held himself up above the toy and promised himself not to back down. He was determined. He was no man's dog.


	7. Chapter 7

"Mffhg..." Ignis breathed harshly through his nose.

He'd long gotten use to his drool slipping down his chin and leaving cold marks all over his chest and stomach. His legs had given out an hour ago, and they felt dead beneath him. His gut was bloated a bit from the toy. It had freaked Ignis out more than the initial penetration. He had slowly slipped down, over the plastic molded veins and all the way down to the hilted balls. When his ass touched the base, he let his legs stop pushing. Ignis sat, defeated, against the pole, disgust whirling where the dildo sat. 

The darkness did nothing to comfort, but the fabric of the blindfold as leaving his face itchy. His arms, locked to the side of the pole, were just as tired as his legs. He wasn't sure he'd be able to move if the bindings had been cut. He was tired, thirsty and hungry. Shiva, he was so thirsty! Ignis wiped his tongue across his gag for a millionth time. 

And then, the cellar door swung open. Ignis ground his teeth into the plastic. He wanted to pull himself back off the toy, to lift his chin and make it clear he hadn't been defeated. But he could only let his head hang limp, chin to his chest as his body refused to respond. Heavy boots plodded down the stairs and paused in front of him. Ignis' breath was harsh in his own ears. 

"Hehehe," Harold chuckled softly. "Couldn't keep it up, Ignis?" he asked jokingly. 

Ignis' choked on a growl. A hand come to his shoulder and pushed him down harder. He whined, squirming as the toy shifted inside him. Then another hand helped the first lift him up, and dropped him back down. Ignis cried out, toe nails scraping the dirt and leaving grooves in the ground. The back of his head struck the pole as he tried to jerk himself away. 

"Still got some fight left in you, too," the clerk whistled appreciatively, fingers coming down to trail over his body. "I missed you so much, Ignis. While I was out, I got you some new things. I think it's time to see what we need and what we don't."

Fingers unbuckled his ball gag. Ignis' jaw stayed open even as it was removed. He had to move it slowly, and work through the stiff pain that sat in his teeth. He had no energy to do anything but hang his head and work his jaw. Harold cupped his chin and lifted his face, looking at his eyes. He kept smiling, untying the knots of his bonds and releasing his legs. The chain was unlatched and so were his arms. When all the chains were gone, Ignis collapsed forward into the dog bed, dildo still wedged up his ass. He couldn't help the low whine in his throat. His whole body shook. 

"That's better," Harold cooed. "Nice and pliable. Now..." His boot shifted so it was settled right in front of Ignis' lips. All he had to do was reach out with his tongue. "Lick my boot."

And Ignis, with what little strength he had left, turned his head away. His eyes shut tightly as the tension in the room became thick and dangerous. He felt Harold shift above him and then a solid 'thwack!' as the boot connected with the side of his head. Harold was grumbling in anger. 

"No, no, calm down," the clerk took a few steps back, pacing in a circle and coming back to Ignis with a new found smile. It didn't seem as bright as they usually were. "No, I wanted this, didn't I? A fighter. A creature who I have to work on breaking." He knelt down and brushed at Ignis' new bruise. Ignis didn't have the strength to move away. He just grimaced against the pain. 

"Maybe it's not pain that will get you to be obedient," Harold kept talking. He lost himself in his own head, then pulled back with a hum. "I need to act before they leave, anyway..."

"Wha..?" Ignis wasn't sure if he heard him right, but it was enough to shoot a spark of fear through him. He tried to lift himself up, but his arms wouldn't move. "Wait..."

Harold leaned over him, excited to get the reaction. "Is that it? Is that the key to breaking you?" He stood up and went to the table. Ignis looked up through one, pain-drawn eye. He could see Harold tucking his missing glasses into his apron pocket. Ignis tried to sit up again. His chains clinked, but he was barely able to crawl. 

"Don't hurt them..." he gasped. 

Harold grinned at him, then knelt down and rolled Ignis onto his side so he was more comfortably on the dog bed. A hand pressed to his bruised head. 

"I shouldn't be so rough with you. You're still learning after all," Harold gave him a kiss on the temple before edging the food and water bowl closer. "Rest and eat. I'm going to be busy for a while."

Ignis ignored the bowl and managed to reach out with one hand. The chain pulled taut and he could only watch the clerk wander back towards the ladder. He wasn't sure if he could lay in the dark any longer, but the clerk didn't seem to care. 

Harold reached up and opened the hatch. He pulled himself out of the store. It was still early in the morning. His car wasn't in the lot. He had hiked up to the store and let himself in the back, having went to the city to buy more supplies for Ignis and the possible new captives. With Ignis still refusing to lick his boot, he knew that he'd already made up his mind. 

He was going to take Gladio, today, and the other dark-haired one. With them in his grasp, he was sure that Ignis would finally start to obey. And he'd have two new dogs to play with. He locked the hatch and returned the rug, wondering if they'd be as fierce and bull-headed as Ignis. His dick throbbed. He rubbed at it as he peeked through the windows. He lifted the glasses from his pocket and then looked at the bag he'd stashed under the counter. 

He hadn't been on a hunt in a long time. The last one had been years before he picked up work at this store, but was excited. He hoped that Gladio was as strong as he looked. Hoped that the smaller one would put up an entertaining fight as well. He'd been careful with collecting Ignis, but something was urging Harold to take a risk. To toss caution to the wind and obtain two more prizes. 

He fondled the glasses in his palm, and waited until the lot was empty. 

***

Cor was unable to get to the store. Lestallum's roads had been barricaded by Niflheim, and checkpoints had been set up at various locations. He talked to Gladio with the worry of them traveling through it. The empire seemed to be getting antsy, now that they couldn't find the prince at all. Noctis hung up the phone, upset, and called Cindy. He asked her if she could somehow make the long trip down there and look at the regalia. She was the only ally he could think of to help. He reigned in his frustration when she said it'd be a few days to make the trip.

"I'll try and be down there as soon as I can, hun," she promised. "But the roads have been horribly congested lately. I've been seein' them shiny suits all over the place. PawPaw almost got into a fight with some of them empire boys. I couldn't imagine you'd be safe this close to Insomnia. How is everything up there?"

"Not great," Noctis admitted. This was the second day that the clerk had left. The fifth day in total since his advisor disappeared. Noct had very little hope left of finding him. "Cor is trapped in the city and Prompto's leg is not getting any better. It's hard to do anything when the entire region is looking for your face. And... still no Ignis."

He could practically hear the mechanic frowning into her phone. "I'm sorry, you Higness. Keep on lookin', and I'll make my way down there. I'll give you a call when I'm a day away."

"Thank you, Cindy," Noct sighed. 

"It'll all work out in the end," she told him. 

They hung up, and Noct sat with his back against the trailer, looking up at the mid-day sky. Gladio was finally - finally! - sleeping in one of the bunks. So the search was halted a spell. Noctis wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to leave the lot, but he knew he couldn't just leave his kingdom to be dogged by Niflheim. The empire dogs were infesting the place. And not only that, but he wasn't sure if Gladio would even leave. Prompto would, if Noct asked him to, but the shield would rather let the world burn than let Iggy go. 

Noctis knew they weren't leaving for a while. He steeled himself, tried to wipe away the heavy weight of guilt and worry. His phone slipped into his pocket and he made his way back to the trailer. But as he walked, something caught his eye. Noctis' brow furrowed. He knelt down to examine the shine tucked behind the wheel of the trailer, hidden but catching the light just right. Noctis gasped, and flashed into the trailer without opening the door. He warped in the middle of the tight space, startling Prompto who'd been trying to read one of Gladio's book. Gladio snapped up from his other side of the bunk. He looked down at the prince with tired, confused eyes. 

"I found these outside," Noctis said shakily. He passed them up to the shield, Prom sucking in a harsh breath as he realized what they were. 

"Iggy's glasses," Gladio growled. He took them, noting the broken left glass piece and the awkward bend of one of the arms. "Where'd you find these?"

"Under the trailer's wheel."

"What the?" Gladio was up and off the bed, tucking away Ignis' glasses as he made his way outside. Prompto followed after both of them, grabbing the old crutch the clerk had managed to dig out of the back storage. Gladio didn't wait for either of them. He was under the trailer, scanning for any more clues. 

"These weren't here a day ago," Gladio said. "There's no way we missed them."

"No, you're right. We would have seen them," Noctis agreed. 

Prompto was looking around the lot, as if the monster would come out of hiding. "If those were put there... it's probably watching us. I mean, you two have slowed down while looking since yesterday. It could be..." he trailed off, feeling dumb for the idea anyway. But Gladio and Noct seemed to genuinely consider the possibility of a daemon that liked the attention. That liked playing with them. 

"I'm going back out there," Gladio's voice was tight and shaky. 

"I'll go with. Prom, go back inside and lock the door. Cindy is coming to fix the regalia in a few days, and she'll take you back to Hammerhead. Cid can look at your leg." Noctis had fallen back into his 'princely mode', speaking as one would among important political figures. "And remember."

Prompto held back a sigh, feeling rather helpless, and summoned his gun three times fast. Noct smiled, reassured, and gave his shoulder a pat. Then he headed after Gladio, who was already halfway to the woods. Prompto watched them go until he was all alone. He looked around the empty parking lot. A chill went up his spine, not because he thought something was watching him, but because something felt very wrong. 

Prompto couldn't put his finger on it, but he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this would have been uploaded sooner, but my computer froze and I had to rewrite this chapter. Smh, hope you enjoy

Harold dropped a black sock, making sure it hung from a bush in clear view of any passer-byers. He made his way through the thick woods with a large black bag, following a hidden trail that led a few miles out to an old well. Harold had to back track a few times, dropping pieces of Ignis' clothes as he went. He hurried. The path of clothes would be found soon, and he knew his pet's friends would be quick to follow. 

He dropped the second sock as he passed up over a ridge, the bushes parting into a thinning section of the woods. It opened into a small clearing, and in the middle, sat a stone well. Harold jogged over to it with a grin and dropped the last piece of clothing he had: Ignis' torn blazer. 

Harold's nerves were alit. He was excited but nervous. He'd been a very well-known hunter back in the day, and could hold his own against even a Red Giant. He smirked. He was excited to show these younger hunters their place at his feet, he thought as his fingers trailed over the pommels of his daggers. They were a bit heavier than he remembered, and tossed on in the air, catching it and feeling the heft of the metal. Then, he made a loop around the clearing. Inside his bag, were rope and hooks and snags he had to take out and put together. He laid out several traps in total, giving himself several minutes to survey and memorize were they lay hidden in the grass and trees. Harold was so lost in his own head, he didn't hear the stranger watching him from behind. 

"Out for a walk on this lovely day?" 

Harold just about jumped out of his skin. He dropped his bag and removed his gun, aiming the barrel with deadly efficiency at the newcomer's forehead. He glared, looking the man up and down. He looked like some traveler who hadn't slept in a real bed in a while. A man with scraggly red hair, an old hat, and too many jackets. 

"Who are you and what are you doing all the way here? This is private property." Harold almost pulled the trigger, just to kill the man and be over with it. It didn't have time for this. 

"I was just out for a stroll, is all," the man seemed unaffected by the gun. Unphased at all, and it made Harold hesitate. "You might be out of more than that, though. Looking for some fish to catch, maybe?"

Harold did unload the gun then. Three bullets. And each one passed through the stranger as if he was a hallucination. His body flickered like static and then he was in front of Harold with a nasty grin and bright, dangerous eyes. He snapped the gun from Harold's grip and tossed it to the bushes. 

"A gun's not going to bring down your quarry," the stranger tutted, like one might to a dumb child. "I'm afraid the two men you're after are going to kill you here. Well, as soon as realize it was you, who took their dear advisor."

Harold's fear skyrocketed. He felt sick. He felt furious. "How you do- I mean, what are you talking about?!"

The stranger's hand came up and patted his cheek. Harold's arms hot up to smack it away. But the stranger was gone. Harold looked around wildly, jumping with a scream as the stranger tapped his shoulder from behind. 

"Please don't soil yourself," he grinned. "I'm only here to make sure that you don't end up in a pool of your own blood. You may be able to fight, but Noctis has an advantage."

Harold glared at him suspiciously. "Advantage?"

The stranger tucked a hand into one of his coats and removed a small ring. He held it out and Harold looked at it without grabbing it. It was ornate. In the center, clasped in black metal, as a shining red gem. It seemed to leave wisps of crimson afterglow as it was moved. The stranger shook it, urging Harold to take it. 

"This will null Noctis' abilities. It'll keep both him and dear Gladiolus from accessing their weapons. Without his magic, Noctis won't be able to do much. And trust me, he'll want to do plenty to you."

Harold did take the piece of jewelry, listening with growing interest despite his trepidation. Noctis - he had to roll the name in his head a few times - was magical? He took the heavy ring and slipped it onto his finger. It felt like it held onto him, determined not to fall off. 

"And as for Gladiolus, remove him first. If you get Noctis alone without his magic, it'll make your job easier. I do hope you succeed, Harold. These are two wolves that would look lovely in chains."

Harold blinked, and the man was gone. He looked down at the ring. It seemed to pulse. If he didn't have this ting, he'd assume the stranger had been some weird illusion. But now, new thoughts were filling his head. Thoughts of these powerful creatures following his trail, trying to track down a treasure that Harold wanted them to be added to. His cock throbbed. He rubbed at it as he wandered out of the clearing. 

He found a comfortable branch to sit in, and waited. 

***

Gladio stomped through the underbrush with Noctis warping and jumping around him. The prince was going to wear himself out, but he couldn't keep up with the shield just on his own two legs. And Gladio didn't want to slow down anyway. He stopped when he saw a black sock hanging off some leaves. But Noctis was already snatching it like a bird in flight, hopping up a tree to scout the area. 

"Fuck, there's so many trees!" The prince cursed. 

"It's not like this isn't a trap," Gladio told him, pausing to suck in a few breaths. "Whoever's doing this, is gonna make sure we're going to right way."

"Then let's hurry and show up to the party," Noctis said. He looked impatient - probably for several reasons. 

Ignis, obviously. The unknown. And Prompto was forced to stay behind. They had both worried that it may have been a trap to get the gunman alone, but Prompto summoned his gun and made it clear that he'd call Noctis if something happened. Gladio knew it was eating at the prince a little, but this was the only lead they had at finding Iggy alive. Gladio started to move again. Noctis followed, and soon, they found another sock. 

Nearly Ignis' entire ensemble. Noctis noticed too, and hopped down to start walking beside Gladio. They moved slower, feeling that they were reaching their destination. Then, the trees thinned out and a little clearing opened before them. There was a crumbling well at its center. Something black and torn was laying on the edge. Noctis gasped and went to warp towards it. He made a startled noise and Gladio saw him dive headfirst into the grass. He ran over, hauling the prince to his feet. 

"What were you doing, eating dirt?"

"What the-" Noct ignored him, shoving away as he threw his arm out. He stumbled forward, opening and closing a palm. "My armiger! I can't access it!" 

"What?" A terrible feeling assaulted Gladio. He tried to summon his own broadsword, but the familiar pull of the crystal didn't follow. "Fucking shit. Noct-" he looked to his charge, and saw a shape jump from the trees. "Noctis!"

The prince was shoved out of the way as Gladio took a running start and met the attack head on. He saw the man wielding two daggers. They almost cut across his chest, but Gladio ducked and fumbled his way through a clumsy dodge. He did manage to swing a heavy fist into the man's shoulder, and watched as he hit the ground and rolled off to the side. The man jumped to his feet, unwinded. He edged a little closer to the rim of the clearing. 

_It was... the clerk? He was the one... Gladio felt his blood boil. He's been under our noses this whole time?!_

_ The clerk wasn't dressed in his white and orange stripped uniform. He was dressed in dark green fatigues and boots, looking larger than he had in an apron. He was smirking at them, a light in his eyes that told Gladio this was fun for him. His boiling rage bubbled over the pot.  _

"You!" Noctis shouted. "Where is Ignis! What did you do to him?"

The clerk had the audactiy to laugh. "Oh no, have you been worried about him? Don't worry, _Noctis_." The way he said his charge's name set Gladio's teeth on edge. "I've been taking plenty good care of Ignis. He's been a very gracious guest."

Without a weapon, Gladio knew Noctis was going to have a hard time. They always used his armiger. Training. Real battles. Hell, he'd use it when he was too lazy to go walk and grab his phone off the table. That, and Gladio had no idea who this clerk was. He shut off Noct's powers, took Ignis without anyone knowing, and was taunting them as if already knowing he'd won. And damn it, it pissed him off. 

Harold laughed again when Gladio took off charging at him. He earned a few cuts up and down his arm, but Noctis jumped into the fray from the side and gave Gladio an opening to strike Harold in the shoulder. Balance thrown off, the man stumbled back like he was going to fall on his ass. Noctis went for it immediately. Gladio felt something was wrong, but ignored it, hoping to rush him at the same time. Then, Harold did a back flip out of both their reaches. Noctis stumbled, surprised at the man's speed. 

There was a click, and a _whirr._ Gladio looked at Noct's feet and felt a terror rise in him. He tackled the prince, just as a hidden net snapped up, rope spinning taut from the branches above. Leaves were tossed through the air as Gladio felt the net hook around an ankle. He ground his teeth as he was hoisted off Noct's form and off the ground. He hung, upside down from the man's trap. Gladio immediately lifted his torso up and started to try and rip away the netting. But the strands were hard, made of some flexible metal. In fact, it had already sliced into the shield's ankle and was dribbling blood down his pant leg. He only succeeded in closing the wire more tightly around the wound. 

"Fuck! Noctis, get outta here!" Gladio shouted. 

But Noctis was already engaged with Harold again. The clerk had sheathed his daggers, and was fighting Noct hand to hand. They jabbed at each other, Noct looking like he wanted to kill, and the clerk looking incredibly pleased with himself. Then Harold caught Gladiolus' eye, winked and ducked under a blow from Noct. The prince was acting desperate, though, and threw too much weight. He staggered, and Harold clocked him across the face with a swift kick. Noct dropped into the ground. The prince groaned and tried to sit up, but Harold thrust a boot down in between his shoulder blades. He held him there, then looked up at Gladio. 

"This that all?" Harold asked, giant smile on his face. He looked ecstatic. So much so, It gave the shield the creeps. "I was warned about you two wolves, and I have to say, I'm disappointed. Not that I should be complaining."

The clerk laughed loudly, near hysterical, and looked up at Gladio who was trying to pry off the wire again. More blood ran down Gladio's arms and leg. Seemingly satisfied that he wouldn't escape, Harold knelt down so he was crouched on Noctis' back. He whispered something to the prince. Gladio kept pulling at the net. He could hear Noct say something back and saw the kid try to fight his way out from under the clerk. Gladio kept pulling. He felt his skin cut and tear. More blood dripped onto his face and he had to blink it away. Then, as if Shiva herself were blessing him, the wire tore away under his strength. Gladio's body dropped several feet, but he managed to catch himself awkwardly and jump to his feet. 

His hands and his ankle fucked up, he still went barreling towards Harold like a pissed beast. The clerk looked up and finally - FINALLY - his smile had vanished. Gladio struck his face with an elbow, bowling over him and sending them both off Noctis. Gladio, falling with the clerk, wrapped his bloody hands around the man's throat. It hurt, just touching anything, but Gladio squeezed as hard as he could.

A terrible pain rocketed through his shoulder, though, as the clerk stabbed him. Several times, the blade plunged in his arm and near the shoulder. Gladio tried to work through the pain and snap through the clerk's neck. But his left arm gave out as the dagger plunger into it a fourth time. His right hand was too slick with blood to keep a grip and Harold rolled to the side, swipign the dagger across Gladio's face. The clerk finally managed to kick himself away. Gladio tried to stand after him, but fell to one knee. More blood poured down his side. It left a puddle in the grass. Gladio couldn't stand anymore. He felt like he might pass out. And the thought that ran through his head was:

_I can't protect Noctis._

He looked over and saw the prince staring at him in horror. Gladio felt another wave of dizziness and reached out to his charge. He fell face first into the grass, arm outstretched. 

"Gladio!" Noctis cried and ran towards him, stopping at Harold stepped in front of him.

The clerk was rubbing at his throat, his voice scratchy. "I guess I stand corrected," he said. "Maybe I shouldn't have underestimated your friend." He leveled a bloody dagger at Noct. "Should I do the same with you?"

Noctis bared his teeth, falling into the ready position that Gladio always drilled him into. His heart was pounding. He hadn't felt fear like this since watching Insomnia fall in flames. Then the clerk ran at him, and that fear solidified into determination. Duck, swipe, duck, and punch him in the gut. Wait, step back, fuck... Noct couldn't keep up. Couldn't see what this guy was planning next. He was an experienced fighter, the prince noted.

"That strange old man said to get rid your friend first," Harold said between breathes. Noctis tried to ignored him, focused on winning. "Said you'd be easy to defeat without your fancy powers."

That threw Noctis off a little. He earned another solid kick to the face, this one sending him back to his knees. He nose throbbed. He felt it gush with blood and wondered if it was broken. Harold kicked him in the back. Noctis grunted as he fell. He shoved himself back up and the boot pinned him by the back. Noct tried to throw him off, desperate and very aware that Gladio needed help more than him. 

"You fuck! Get off me!" 

"I'd play with you a bit more," the clerk said, leaning in lower. "But I can't have Gladio bleeding out on us, huh? Don't worry. I'll take good care of both of you."

Noctis felt a hand slip over his face, and caress his cheek. He spit more curses at the man, his voice echoing through the woods. It was cut off as Harold removed a cloth from his front pocket and pressed it to the prince's lips. He kept it there until he stopped moving, but sat on his back for a little while longer. 

Harold had done it. His grin returned ten-fold and relief poured through him. He had his wolves. 


	9. Chapter 9

Ignis had regained some mobility to his limbs. He had drank from the water bowl, wishing desperately that he wasn't in this reality. It was humiliating, but Harold was gone, and he had some privacy. But even privacy wasn't enough to get Ignis to eat the kibble. His stomach growled more every hour though. Ignis had to physically turn his head away from the bowl. 

He was so hungry. He was so lonely and scared. Harold hadn't returned yet. The man had taken his glasses, and it left Ignis to worry about what he could be doing to torment his friends. He slowly forced himself up. The dildo had been thrown to the other side of the room. He'd pulled it out (not without some tears) and weakly shoved it as far as he could. It wasn't far enough. But Ignis could only lay in his chains and wait. He was half-way to falling back into a restless sleep, when the cellar door opened back up. 

Ignis blinked and tried to scuttle closer to the pole. His collar jingled as he did, the light from the store too bright to look at directly. Then, he heart seemed to give out as he saw Harold with a body draped over his shoulder. The clerk jumped off the ladder and looked at Ignis with a puffed chest and a look a pride. 

He was carrying Noctis. He was...

"You? What are you-" Ignis' worry turned to full-blown terror. He sat up and the chains pulled him back. His aching body tried to pull its way over to them. Harold laughed and took the prince over to the table. Noctis' hands and feet were bound. He was rolled onto the table on his back. Ignis could see the burst of blood on his nose and the gnarly bruise on his temple. 

Ignis couldn't make any words. He couldn't move. He stared at Noct's face and felt a crushing sense of failure. Harold noticed and walked over to him, stooping low and grabbing Ignis' face in his hands. The advisor only looked at him, pleading for him not to do this. Harold leaned down and gave him a deep kiss. Ignis closed his eyes and let it happen. Noctis was here, he thought desperately. Harold must have been thinking the same exact thing. 

"That's better," Harold cooed. A tongue swiped along his bottom lip. "Be a good boy, and dear Noctis will be safe. He's not going to be as obedient as you when he wakes up, so I need you to show him how. You'll do that for your, Master, won't you my Ignis?"

"Please, please don't harm him."

"That's up to you," Harold said, standing up. He wandered back over the Noct. Ignis watched, tears brimming in his eyes, as Harold began to remove Noct's clothes. He heard the first rip as a blade left a line through his shirt. Ignis couldn't take it. 

"Wait!" 

Harold paused, turned to look at him. Then, he stooped to grab the ball gag off the floor. Ignis' eyes went wild, but he was easily pinned at the plastic shoved between his teeth. Harold gave him another kiss on the top of his head. 

"I'm in too good of a mood to be upset," the clerk warned. "Next time, it'll be more than just the gag."

Harold went back to work, ignoring Ignis' growing moans of despair as he fully ripped away Noctis' clothes. He found a duffel bag, and from it, pulled a black collar. He heard Ignis make more desperate noises behind him and smirked. This was going to be so much fun, he thought, clasping the collar tightly over his new dog's neck. Then, a chain was picked and hook onto the collar's latch. Finally, Harold clasped his hands in the same mits Ignis wore. Finished, Harold hauled him off the table and took him to the pole. He laid Noct on his back, stepping away to watch as Ignis crawled over and took him in his arms. Ignis wouldn't look up at his Master. But Harold was pleased with what he saw. 

Ignis, meanwhile, was horrified. He stared at Noct and tried to ignore how naked both of them were. He felt disgust and shame. He felt horror and helplessness. So he held onto Noctis a little tighter, and tried to shield him from Harold's eyes. But when he looked up, the clerk was already under the cellar door and going up the ladder. Ignis felt something else was wrong. He was proven right, when, Harold came back down moments later. He was carrying another body. This one much larger, and heavier. Harold still managed to haul him down their though, grunting as he hefted Gladiolus over to the table and tossed him there. 

Ignis didn't know what to think. There was blood. Oh Shiva, there was so much blood. He bit harder into his ball gag, feeling a panic attack about to happen. 

"Don't worry, he'll live," Harold teased. "I wouldn't have torn him up so much, but Gladiolus here is a true animal."

He laughed, hand coming up to massage at his pec and abs, tearing away his shirt in the process. There were messy bandages already there, and Harold got to work replacing them. He stripped Gladio as he worked, adding mits, a red collar, and a chain from the ceiling. Then, for added protection, he locked Gladio's ankles together with some handcuffs. Ignis saw that his left ankle had been shredded horribly. Harold wrapped it up with some gauze, and patted it, leaving it (Ignis fretted) for an infection. He then hauled Gladio off the table and drug him towards Ignis. The advisor reached out with an arm, as if expecting the shield to be left with him.

Harold paused, studying him, and Ignis felt a spark of worry. He hand reached out a little further and felt himself start to whine... like a dog. He saw the softening in Harold's face, and felt both disgust and satisfaction, as the sheild was laid down in his other arm. Ignis couldn't grab him like he was with Noctis, but still wedged himself forward so that he was between him and Harold.

Harold didn't move though. He just stood there and stared at all three of them. Then his hand fell down to his crotch and started to rub. Ignis balked in disgust. Harold's hand moved a little faster before he stopped, reaching out the grabbing the advisor by the back of the head. There was a click and the gag fell into his lap.

Ignis knew what was coming.

Harold's boot took a step forward and the toe lifted. Harold rubbed himself again, and smiled, his eyes glancing over to Noct and Gladio.

Ignis knew he was trapped. 

"Lick it."

Ignis closed his eyes and loosened his grip on his friends. He didn't want to be touching them right now. Not while he was doing this. So he gently placed them on the ground and curled forward on his legs. Harold's boot waggled. His tongue timidly came out and swiped a tiny stripe on the leather. It tasted horrible. He wanted to spit, but the toe reached up and prodded his lips. 

"Lick it like you mean it, or Noctis is waking up with a boot in his mouth."

His tongue started to lap at the shoe. Ignis shoved down any resemblance of humility he had left, and made sure that the boot was left shiny and polished. He zoned out, bobbing his head like he thought Harold watned to see, before the boot moved away. A hand carted through his hair and he was lifted for another kiss. He almost protested as the ball gag was picked back up, but didn't speak. Harold seemed to like that, and tucked the gag in his pocket. 

"Such a smart boy. You learn real quick with the right incentives, huh? Good. Rest with your friends. I'll be back for more training later." Harold shook his head with a goofy grin. "Man, I can't believe my luck."

Ignis then noticed the ring. A ring with a red gemstone at its center. That hadn't been there before, had it? But Harold was kissing him again, trailing them down his neck and rubbing himself. Ignis braced through the heavy petting until Harold went rigged and came in his own pants. Ignis grimaced as he was let go, gently pulling himself away so he wouldn't do anything to upset the man. 

"Oh fuck, good... good boy," Harold sighed. "Good boy. Go and rest." His eyes then flickered over the bowl of kibble. Ignis didn't like the strange look the crossed his face. "I'll be gone only until later tonight... I want half that food gone by the time I get back, or else."

It felt like Harold was waiting for an answer, so Ignis bowed his head and nodded. He received another pat, and then was left in the cellar with two new bodies. He looked at the kibble and felt a revulsion. But... he looked at Noct and Gladio passed out, naked on the ground and bound like animals. He closed his eyes, refused to think of the possible consequences and sat back in the middle of them. 

He'd eat in a moment, he told himself. He'd eat in just a moment. 

***

Out in the parking lot of the convenience store, Prompto was getting worried. It was late in the day. Too late, and Noct and Gladio hadn't shown back up. He wondered if they had found Iggy yet, and sat back down from the window for the hundredth time. His gut clenched. Gladiolus had acknowledged that finding the glasses had looked like a trap. Noctis hadn't really cared, and Prompto had been forced to stay behind. 

This whole day felt like a mess. He looked back out the window, despite telling himself not to, and stared at the woods. 

_Please be okay,_ he thought. _Just show up with Ignis, and everything will be fine. Right?_

He was tossed from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Prompto thought that was strange. Who in Ifrit's ball-sack was here? He looked at the lot for any cars, but only saw the busted regalia Cindy needed to fix. He jumped from the seat. Right! Cindy must have gotten here a little early, he mused. What a great way to distract himself from this roture of waiting. He jerked the door open, already happy to see a friendly, familiar face. 

Prompto was mistaken. "Oh! I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else... uh, can I help you?"

The clerk was smiling awkwardly, dressed not in his uniform, but casual wear and a baseball cap. Prompto didn't see his car in the lot. Weird. 

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were expecting someone. I was just checking up on you four," the clerk told him. "I also wanted to check on the store, but everything looks okay. Have you found anything yet?"

"Oh, uh, no," Prompto's grip on the knob tightened.

He wanted to cut off this conversation and go sit back down in his misery. The clerk's eyes kept dashing down to his ankle. It was still in need of a real cast, wrapped up as best as Gladio's know-how could let him. Prompto had gotten good at limping around the trailer without his crutch, though.

He ignored the man's eyes and instead asked, "Where's your car?"

The clerk laughed, looking behind him. "I took the bus up this way, but you have to walk a mile from the stop to get here. Anyway, how's your leg feel?"

"It's... fine." Prompto wasn't sure what else to say. Did this guy want to be his friend or something? "Um, the others are gonna be back soon if you wanna talk to them. I mean, if you're boss wants us to leave or something-"

"Oh no, nothing like that," the clerk assured him. "My boss doesn't even know you four are here."

Prompto's heart skipped a beat. But he had no idea why. He had no idea why he was getting nervous all of the sudden. He chalked it up to lack of sleep and lack of mobility. He hated this stupid broken ankle. Seeing a doctor would be a relief. 

"That's cool. Um. Is there anything else, or?"

"Oh I'm sorry, no," the clerk held up his hands. "I was just a little worried about the monster. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

Prompto didn't have the guy's number. Gladio did. But he nodded anyway. "Sure. Thanks."

"Not a problem. Have a good evening, Prompto."

Another strange burst of nerves in his chest exploded. Prompto waved goodbye and shut the door. He snapped the latch closed and went back to sit near the window. He watched Harold wander over to the end of the lot, out the fencing, and walk down the road. Prompto shivered. 

Something about that guy was seriously creepy. 


	10. Chapter 10

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!_ His head was killing him! Noctis wasn't sure if he'd been shot in the head or just hung over. He blinked his tired eyes open, feeling a warm chest underneath him take in shallow breaths. His brows furrowed as he looked down and saw pale skin, and his hand... his hand? He lifted his hand, finding it bound tightly into a black fist. 

"What in the..." 

"Noctis?" 

He froze, heart stopping, and looked up to what he thought had to be Iggy's voice. And then he saw his lost friend, staring at him without his glasses, dirty and with a collar clasped around his throat. Their were chains dangling above them. Noct sat up from where he was lying on Ignis' chest and saw Gladio too. 

They were all naked. He was, too. Blushing furiously and confused, Noct shoved himself away, chains pulling at his neck as it gave him limited room to move. His mitted hands flailed uselessly on the dirt ground. 

"What- Ignis!? What happened?! Why are you chained like this?!" Noctis recovered from his shock, memories of the fight with the clerk coming to him in hazy snippets. He reached out to try and take off Iggy's collar, the stupid mitts getting in the way. 

"I'm okay," Ignis told him. His voice was scratchy and rough. There was bruising under his collar. Noctis couldn't help it. Tears started to fall down his cheeks. 

"He did this to you... He had you this whole time?" 

"I'm so sorry you're caught in this," Iggy whispered, head bowed. "I-"

"Don't." Noctis' voice was tight and hot. He was shaking. "Don't apologize, Iggy. I'm- I'm getting us out of here, you'll see."

The prince made to stand up. He pulled at his collar, the chains dragging around his body as he swiped at them. He couldn't get a grip, though he did try pulling them from the ceiling completely. Ignis was quiet the whole time, head downcast. That made Noctis more furious and he started to scream as he thrashed at the chains. 

"Noctis, please," Ignis whispered. "I don't... I don't want you to get hurt."

"So, what? You want me to just sit here until that freak comes back? So he can hurt you more? So he can..." Noct shook his head, shoving at his anger. "Iggy. Iggy, whatever happened down here, I'm not letting him do it again. I'm getting you out of here. I'm killing him the moment he comes back!" 

Ignis looked at Gladiolus beside him. Noct looked too, eyes raking over his naked form and the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest. The could see some stitches peeking out from the gauze. Noctis could only see the moment when Harold stabbed him several times, feeling the pure horror of watching blood gush and thinking your friend had died. He knelt down, suddenly weak, and reached out to hug Ignis. He ignored the obvious nakedness of them both. It didn't matter right now. 

Ignis hugged him back and he was just happy to see the advisor again. To see him alive. 

"Agh, fucking..." they both turned at the groaning beside them. Gladiolus had raised a mit to his head. His eyes snapped open when his skin met leather, and not fingers. "What in the fucking-"

"Gladio!" Noctis couldn't hold back his shout. He shifted over Ignis so he could look over the bigger man. "Don't ever let someone stab you like that again!" 

"Stab me? I- oh, Ifrit's ball-sack, where are we?" he tried to sit up, but sucked in an agonized breath as fell back down. He couldn't move his bandaged arm. The left side had been torn open so much, that Gladio was left nearly crippled. His rubbed at his chest gingerly with his good hand. He growled when he saw the mitt. Movement pulled and pinched at the wounds. Gladio's forehead was already slick with sweat. 

"Don't move. You've been seriously hurt, you could open your stitches," Ignis warned. 

Gladio sat up half-way off the floor when he heard Ignis' voice. He didn't even look like he cared that he'd been bloodied to near death. He just reached out and tried to put his mitted hand against the other's. Gladio looked disgustedly at the gloves. 

"Ignis? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" 

"I'm fine."

"Like hell you are," Gladio snapped, looking him up and down with pained eyes. He was forced to lay back down though, body shaking with pain. His hand stayed on Iggy's shoulder, as if afraid he'd disappear. "Oh, fuck, I'm going to kill that man. You're not staying down here..." He noticed Noctis too. Noticed, again, the lack of clothes. Gladio's eyes shut and he drew deep, angry breath. When he opened them, they were glinting dangerously. "I'm tearing his heart out."

"Don't move, man," Noct said worriedly. "Seriously, there's blood already coming through."

He pointed, as if Ignis didn't already see the red puddle growing over his chest. Ignis didn't even have his fingers to peel off the bandages and look. 

"He's right, you need to lay still."

"And heal? Down here?" Gladio asked incredulously. A flicker of fear finally passed over his face. He wiped it away as quickly as he could. "Fuck. Is there any possible way out you've noticed?"

Ignis had settled back against the pole. "Not that I've noticed no. Come here, lay on my lap." He said, changing the topic and reaching out gently grip his shoulders. Gladio tried to say he was okay, but Noct helped shift him so he could lay on Ignis' leg like a pillow. Noct laid back down on his other side and closed his eyes. Their were heavy bags under all their eyes. 

"What's he... do you know what he'd going to do?"

Ignis ignored him. "Where is Prompto?" 

"I... oh, shit," Noctis sat back up, awake. "He's in the trailer by himself! Damn it! He broke his ankle after you were taken. He's alone, and he can't summon his gun, he can't walk."

"Cindy is coming to pick him up," Gladio noted, but he sounded uncertain. "Probably not great that she's going to be coming here either..."

"Damn it, I can't breathe," Noct complained, scraping at his neck. "Ignis, please, I'm actually really scared. What is he going to do to us?"

Ignis looked at the bowl of food and kibble beside them as if it pained him. Noctis hadn't seen that before. He balked and looked again at Ignis' collar. It had a little token with his name. Noctis felt his own collar pull with the weight of one. He looked around. The pillow they sat on was actually a dog bed... there was... his face went white. There was a dildo far off against the wall and ball gag too. Gladio looked where he looked. His face went red. 

"No way. No fucking way," Gladio tried to sit up, but fell back down, crying out and grinding his teeth. "Damn it all!"

More blood started to bleed through. Ignis leaned over worryingly, shaking and looking like he was going to cry. He held him down by the good shoulder and laid him back on his leg. 

"Gladio, please." Ignis tried to be as blunt as possible, and breathe through his panic. "I'm just happy to see you alive. It's not going to be easy when he gets back. He... he's going to be upset and he's going to do something humiliating."

"I'll kill him-"

"How? You'll bleed out if you move too much! We can't summon out weapons," he held up his hands. 

"He did something to stop us from accessing armiger too!" Noctis recalled. 

"Really?! And you fought him? Was he strong?"

"Yeah, you're always stronger when you got a knife," Gladio groaned. "He set up fucking traps and led us into them using your clothes as bait. Fuck. He's probably out there snagging Prompto, do you think? Why is even keeping us here?"

Ignis wanted to pet at him, maybe do something to calm the panic he heard, but he couldn't bring himself to make the motions.

"Don't say that," came Noct's strained voice. "Prom promised to stay in the trailer and keep the doors locked."

"I don't think a trailer door is gonna stop him," Gladio said. "And Prompto loves talking to strangers."

"Gladio! Shut up!" Noct burst. 

"Fuck, sorry!" Gladio held up his good hand, taking a deep breath and falling back into his usual stoic composure. His eyes kept darting over to the dildo. He looked like he was trying hard not to glance that way. "I'm sorry you've been here alone, Iggy."

"There's better odds of us escaping together," he replied. 

"Why's he gonna be pissed, anyway?" asked Noctis. "What's he gonna do?"

Ignis sighed. "Sexual things," he made himself say. "On top of that, he seems to think we're his dogs. I haven't been allowed to speak." His stomach growled loudly, as if on cue. "Or... eaten, in a while."

Noct looked at the food bowl. "Oh fuck no."

"Yes, my exact reaction," Ignis admitted. "Harold warned that he'd be back sooner. He... he warned that if I didn't finish half that food, he'd do something. I can only imagine what, but I... I can't bring myself to do it." He wiped at his eyes but held an otherwise steady face. "I feel horrid enough just drinking his water."

"When's he suppose to be back?" Noctis asked. 

"Soon, I suppose. I'm not sure. I have no idea where he goes. All I know is, we're under the convenience store. I've seen the fluorescent lights and heard the register a few times. I think Harold may be his own boss."

"Don't eat that dog crap," Gladio said. "When he gets down here, I'll antagonize the shit."

"You're hurt enough as it is," Ignis warned. 

"Yeah, Gladio, you're looking a little pale too."

"Don't move. Try to sleep, please. I won't know what to do if you bleed to death chained up next to us."

That made Gladio finally stiffen and settle down. He grumbled, but otherwise stared off at the wall and relaxed. 

"It's cold in here," he noted. 

"I've gotten use to it."

Noct fell further into his side, drawing his arm across him. "I'm cold too. Fucker should have at least given us a blanket."

Ignis gulped and looked once more at the kibble bowl. He frowned and started to gently peel Noct off him. Noct looked nearly offended. 

"I should eat the damn food," Ignis muttered. "I can't stop thinking about what he could do to you two if he's upset."

"Oh fuck, I can't bare to hear that," Gladio said. 

"You're not eating it," Noct said. 

Ignis leaned over, reaching for the bowl to draw it closer. "I don't want to, Noctis. But things are different when you have others to worry about."

"Not for me, no you don't," Noct crawled forward and grabbed the bowl before he could, sliding it out of the advisor's reach. Noct blanched as he looked down at it, Ignis yelling at him to hand it over and to DON'T YOU DARE PUT THAT CRAP IN YOUR MOUTH. 

"What? You're gonna put this crap in your mouth. We split it, then, okay? I... I don't want that guy coming down here pissed either."

Ignis bowed his shoulders and nodded. "I can't believe I'm letting Regis' son eat dog food."

Noctis and Gladio actually laughed, as short and dry as they were. 

"He wouldn't be surprised, honestly," Noct smiled back weakly and pushed the bowl between them. He frowned. "How do we...?"

"I couldn't pick up the water bowl with my hands," Ignis said. The bowl's sides slid upward, with round edges. Ignis had just spilt water on himself trying. "You have to..." he blushed. "Eat out of it, you know..."

"I can't listen to this," Gladio groaned. He turned his head away. 

"Well then, I might as well get it over with. We only have to eat half..." Ignis leaned down. He took a mouthful. The immediate dusty taste hit his taste buds and made him want to gag. Oh, his tongue was never going to forgive him for this. He pulled himself up to chew him portion, and crunch echoing around the room. He grimaced and tried to ignore how hungry he was, or how much his gut ached as it prepared itself to finally digest something. He swallowed, and looked down to see Noct come up from his own mouthful. The prince was chewing it like it was a granola bar. 

"Yuck," he still stuck his tongue out when he swallowed, way down before Ignis. Noctis noticed and bet his head, starting to just eat out of the bowl like a real dog. Ignis tried to push him up by the shoulders, fuming. 

"Noctis! Please, sit up! You don't have to do this for me!" 

But Noctis had eaten a little over half the bowl already. He sat up, crumbs all over his face as he wiped them off on his arm. He shook his head. 

"Fuck that guy, Iggy. I don't want you gagging yourself to make him happy. I don't care. My own cooking is way worse, and I eat that all the time." Noctis shrugged. "It'd be worse for you, than it is for me."

Ignis didn't like hearing that, but he felt grateful nonetheless, and pulled Noctis back over to the pile. Gladio rolled back over too, laying stiffly. His arm looked difficult to move. They waited in pain and nerves, until the cellar door finally opened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Would you guys want to see Prompto thrown into Harold's harem too, so it's like OT4? Or do you think he should be the hero of the story and save them all? Any and all suggestions are welcome, I have no idea which direction to go?!?!?! But I'll go either.


	11. Chapter 11

Harold came down the cellar with heavy foot falls. He was humming a tune, seemingly quite pleased with himself and carrying a bag from town. He was dressed down in street clothes. Ignis was the only one awake, but he felt Noct and Gladio stir beside him. Gladio stiffly glared while Noct actually sat up and looked poised to strike. Ignis pushed against him, asking him to silently stay calm. 

"Oh finally, that took way longer that I expected!" Harold crowed, dropping the bag off on the table. He rounded over to stand in front of his prisoners, peering at the dog bowl. His smile drew wider. "Well, well, well..." He bent down on his knees. "You've been a real good boy, haven't you, Ignis?"

Ignis didn't say anything. He silently pushed against Noct again. They had went over again the importance of not talking. Ignis' plan had been simple: do what they could to stay on his good side. For now. Noctis hadn't liked the idea. At all. 

"I like seeing all three of you together," Harold said. His eyes darted back and forth like a delighted child at the zoo. "You look so cute snuggled up like that. Are you happy your friends are back, Iggy?" He reached out to pet the advisor, but Noct (who'd been steadily growing more pissed with his words) darted out and slapped his hand away. 

"Don't touch him!" Noct shouted. 

Ignis gasped, terror taking him as he saw Harold's face draw in anger. He threw Noctis behind his back. Gladio had rolled up onto his good arm by this point, looking like he might try to stand and fight. Harold looked at all of them and started laughing. He stood up and grabbed some chains from the ceiling, yanking them.

Noctis was choking as he was pulled out of Ignis' grasp and across the dirt. Ignis panicked and reached out for him, unable to grab anything with his mits. Noct was hoisted up onto his toes as Harold stomped the chain into the ground with a spike. He did the same with Gladio, the man swallowing his screams as he was drug through the dirt. Harold only drew his chain far enough to keep his head just bit off the ground and nearly choking him. Gladio had to keep himself up on his elbows, sweating as they already began to shake in pain. 

"Please! Please, don't hurt them!" Ignis was begging. He was on his knees, pleading and curling before this man. He had thrown out any humility he had. He didn't care. He didn't want to see them humiliated like he'd been. "Please, Master!" 

He heard Gladio growl, choked and furious. Noct was shouting curses at Harold, calling him a string of names. And the clerk stared down at Ignis all the while. He smirked and drew a thumb across his bottom lip. Ignis let him. The clerk's pants began to tent. Noct's curses got heavier. 

"You're being such a good boy, Ignis. I do hear you using human words, but we're working on that. I understand. Soon, you'll know how to communicate to me without them."

Ignis felt his tears being wiped away. The thumb, salty and wet, pushed into his mouth. "I don't want to punish you. But they need to learn too."

He gripped Ignis' hair and pushed his face into his crotch. Ignis gasped as he felt the hard on, hot and hard against his face. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, his companions' shouts sounded far away. All he could hear was his heart beat. But then Harold choked as legs wrapped around his neck and straddled him. Noctis had swung himself forward and snatched Harold, choking himself too, but grinning as he drug the man back. Ignis realized he was trying to break the man's neck and watched in stunned awe. Gladio was cheering behind him. 

But Harold grabbed his legs and snapped himself out of the hold. Noct was shaken around as Harold threw him against the wall and stumbled back towards the chain. Noct was hoisted a bit higher. Ignis kept pleading as the clerk stamped the chain down and took his knife from his pocket. 

"Oh, you all are true survivors!" Harold crowed. Noctis shuddered, as if disgusted by the praises. "I won't be disappointed, will I? I'll have to keep my wits about me."

"We're not your- _fucking_ \- entertainment," Noct spat out.

Noctis put up a fight, thrashing and kicking out until Harold was pinning him with his whole body. The blade cut a length of red up the prince's chest and he threw his head forward to try and bite Harold's face. The man laughed and backed off a little, cutting a second line over the first. 

"You think you're a tough guy, huh?!" Gladio was shouting. "Come over here and try that shit on me!" 

"I haven't enjoyed myself this much since my twenties," Harold ignored the shield completely, drawing the flat of the blade of Noct's face but not cutting. The prince held his head up, trying not to push himself onto the sharp edge. "Tell me, Noctis. What's this I've heard about your magic?"

"You're the fucker who took it away," Noct spat. "Didn't you, know-it-all?"

The knife cut again. Noct sucked in a harsh breath. 

"I think we can start with our first lesson," Harold said, licking his ear. "Ignis is still learning, so you and Gladiolus can jump in beside him."

"We're not your _dogs_!" Noct again, tried to bite the man, this time going for his throat.

Harold slammed his head against the pole and left him hanging there. He went to Ignis, grabbing the back of his collar and loosening the chain. Gladio reached out, calling the man a few curses, as Ignis was forced to walk on all fours to the center of the room. His face was turning increasingly red as Harold exposed his back side to his companions, rubbing at his back and neck while he did. 

"Good boy. Sit."

Ignis wasn't sure why he did what he did next. He was thinking of how defiant the other two were acting, and it spurred a need in him to do the same. He felt embarrassed bowing his head in fear like this. So he looked at Harold's finger pointing down at him, and did what he'd wanted to do since he got here. He bit it. And he didn't let go, even as Harold tried to yank his arm back and slugged him in the side of the head a few times. 

"Fucking-! Off! Bad dog! You little-"

Ignis finally felt himself get knocked to the ground. Blood was dripping down his mouth, and it wasn't his. His lips pulled into a pained smile, one quickly wiped away as hands tangled in his hair and lifted his bodily off the ground. He caught Gladio's eye and saw him nod subtly. It made him feel like he did the right thing, even as Harold stomped around him, kicking him onto all fours. Then he took a smaller chain, and spiked it into the ground, latching Ignis' collar to it so he couldn't lift his face more than a few inches from the ground. Ignis watched as another chain and spike were stomped into the ground beside him. Then Harold wandered over to Gladiolus. 

The big man glared at him. Despite the wounds and position, Harold didn't seem at all phased by the man's threats if he can any closer. Harold unlatched the chain. Gladio threw out his good arm immediately, attempting to hit their captor in the head with an elbow. He tried to kick out too, but the cuffs on his ankles made it difficult. Harold was physically able to overpower him, pressing a thumb to his torn shoulder and forcing him to stop thrashing. He hauled Gladio over by his neck too, grunting as he kicked him the last few feet. Gladio's collar was attached to the second chain. 

"Alright, now that you're situated, we're going to give Noctis here a chance to show me some obedience," Harold quipped. He looked down at his first captive and seemed to couldn't help but smile. "Ignis had been doing so well, too."

Noctis thrashed against his chains again. "I'll never show you obedience."

"We'll see," Harold smiled and retrieved his bag from the table. He dropped it behind Ignis and Gladio, humming as he untangled some rope and more cuffs. Their legs were bound and Harold had to work a little harder to bolt the cuffs into the dirt. The two were left facedown in the ground, unable to move. Harold made sure Noctis was watching before he fondled Ignis' ass. The man buried his face into the dirt and looked away from any one else. 

"Hey, fuckface!" Gladio spat. "Keep touching him, and that hand attached to your wrist!" 

"Ah, of course. I almost forgot."

Harold got up and slipped a gag on both Gladio and Ignis. The shield looked like he was trying to bite through his. Then the clerk knelt between them. He started massaging Ignis' ass and reached out to tug at Gladio's balls. The shield jerked violently in his bindings. He snorted loudly, muffled words asking Ignis to do something other than look resigned to his fate. Then Harold tugged harder on Gladio's balls and gave them a sharp twist. Gladio really began thrashing. 

"Don't touch them!" Noct was pulling at his chains. "For fuck's sake, please don't hurt them!" 

Harold pulled his hand off of Gladio, but kept the other still rubbing circles on Ignis. Noctis kept glancing worryingly between the two of them, finally looking at Harold as the man snapped for his attention. Noct wanted to look as furious as he felt, but he was scared to. Instead, he just faltered with the growing sense of hopelessness as 

"I have a few rules were going to be establishing. Number one. You don't use human words. Until you learn this, you'll be getting a gag."

"I'm gonna gag you with a sword, you freak!" Noct hissed. 

Gladio's balls were twisted and a finger slipped inside Ignis, dry. They both groaned and hid their faces. Noctis immediately went still, looking slightly guilty. 

"Smart boy," Harold praised, but still didn't remove his hands. "Behave, and my hands don't wander. Not yet, anyway."

Noctis felt a curse bubbling inside of him. He swallowed it as bitterly as he would broccoli. The clerk continued. 

"I expect complete obedience. When I order you to do something, it will be done. As you earn my trust, I'll give you rewards. You don't have to live down in this basement, but for now, it's home. One day, maybe you can go to sleep at the foot of my bed."

Noct's face became a little darker. He felt his limbs want to fling themselves forward - to use the armiger that he'd always fucking had. He felt so naked without it. So weak. He couldn't do anything as his two closest friends were molested right in front of him. He just let that bastard keep talking. 

"I also expect-" Harold paused, a small but high-pitched whine coming from his back pocket. He lifted a small black box from there, turning it off and grumbling under his breath.

"Already? And just when I was having fun." Harold stood, leaving the two men beneath him in their uncomfortable positions. "Stay here, and be good. I have something I have to take care of." 

Noctis wanted to call after his back. Wanted to curse at him and spit in his face. But he was relieved to see the man go. So he kept his mouth shut until the cellar door locked closed. And yet, he still found that he was at a loss of anything to say. Any reassurances for the friends at his feet. All he could do, was hang his head and pray that they'd survive this hell. 

***

Cindy knocked again on the trailer door, impatiently calling out for any of the boys to show their faces. The door was locked and all the curtains had been drawn. She hadn't seen the regalia when she pulled into the little lot, and the store itself didn't have any employees to help her out. Cindy banged on the door a seventh time. Worry was gnawing at her. 

"Noctis? Gladiolus?" She called. She checked her phone again, wondering why all their calls kept going to voice mail. She quickly scrolled down to Prompto's number to give him a try, but his came up with the same empty ringtone. She pocketed her phone. 

"This can't be too good," she sighed. "I shoulda' left sooner..."

She decided to call PawPaw. He could get in contact with that hunter fellow the boys sometimes traveled with. Maybe he had come and helped them out before she got here. At least, she hoped that was the case. Knew deep down that it wasn't; that something felt wrong. On the first ring, she saw a man walk out the front entrance of the store. She hung up, jogging over to him with a wave of her hand. 

"Excuse me, sir! Do you work here?"

"I do. But the shop's closed. I just returned to check things out. Do you need help?" 

Cindy nodded. "Sorta. I was on my way here to fix a broken down car. It belonged to four boys. A black regalia. Would have happened to seen them?"

Recognition lit up his face. "Ah yeah, I was letting them stay here since last week. I just got here an hour ago, but the lot was empty. I figured they got things running and left."

"Oh..." Cindy went quiet. "Do you know if anyone else came to help them?"

He shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. I'm sorry."

"No, thanks anyway. I'll suppose I'll be on my way..." She turned, feeling something in the pit of her stomach. Cindy got into her car and locked the door. She purposefully made sure not to look at the man still standing outside the store. Watching her. She felt a prickle of annoyance, smashed it down, and pulled out of the lot. She pulled off the road only a mile away and quickly dialed PawPaw. 

"Hey, Cindy! You get them boys on their feet?" came the greeting. 

"Actually, PawPaw, I needed to know if you have that Cor-fellow's number."

***

Prompto heard Cindy banging on the trailer for a while. He had tried to scream out her name. Tried to kick the walls and alert her. Anything. But he couldn't.

He'd woken up last night to a flashlight in his face and a blinding pain drilling into his temple. The next time he woke up, his hands were tied over his head to the sink's piping in the bathroom. Tape and a rag had sealed his mouth shut and his legs were tied off with rope around the faucet. It kept the gunman from thrashing and making too much noise. Not that he didn't try. His broken ankle, however, quickly forced him back into stillness. 

What's worse, he couldn't summon his gun. He'd had a plan to just shoot the roof and let her know where he was, but the familiar pull of the armiger never came. It was like Noct's magic wasn't working. 

When Cindy stopped banging, he finally gave up, sweaty and tired and trying not to wince against his raging head ache. The pipe was cool against his forehead as he tried to rest in the horrible uncomfortable position. It was impossible to find any position that didn't hurt. But he could only lean into his bonds, struggling to control his increasing fear and confusion. A single thought kept flying through his head. 

_What the fuck was going on?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, from here, it's basically the stuff you probably clicked on this story for. Harold gonna be havin' fun. If you wanna see a specific thing happen to a specific bro, let me know and I'll try to write it in ;)


	12. Chapter 12

Prompto kept tugging at his arm bindings. Cindy had stopped banging, and it'd been silent for several minutes. He was a little freaked something may have happened to her too. But then his head snapped over to the sound of the trailer door unlocking. His neck - cramped and titled against his shoulder - ached as his head snapped up. He stared at the door, waiting at footsteps approached and the handle jiggled. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the clerk. Prompto combed his brain for the man's name, but came up empty. It didn't really matter, though. He yanked against his restraints, relieved and anxious that someone had finally decided to check on him. 

But... the man didn't look surprised, or worried. He was smiling shallowly, looking Prompto up and down with dark eyes. Prompto gulped, and realized just who attacked him last night. Unable to speak, he could only yank again at his bonds as the man towered over him, pulling a knife from his pocket. Prompto breathed heavily through his nose, unable to stop his heart from bursting through his chest. Oh fuck, he DID NOT want to be stabbed. 

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you," the clerk said, voice lacking the usual nervous tilt it always had.

Prompto started to scream behind his gag as the man lifted his foot over his own broken one. The clerk looked at him with a giddy grin and laughed. 

"This is a threat. Try anything, and I'll break your other foot. I need you here for now."

His nose flared over his gag, breath harsh as the clerk stepped down on his bad ankle. The rope pulled taut, grabbing at the bone. Prompto shook his head, unable to do anything against the pain or the man causing it. He decided to just let the man play his little power trip and wait for an opening. That was his specialty after all. 

Then a thought struck him. _Where were the other two? Wait, what if this guy got to them!? Wait! Is the clerk the dude who took Iggy?!_

Prompto wasn't sure how well that fared for their detective skills. 

"You must be asking yourself how you can be so stupid," the clerk said. He lifted his foot, kneeling down to study Prompto's face. There was a nasty bruise forming on his temple. "It was fun to play along while it lasted, but it's also nice to finally gag that fucking trap of yours. You're quite the yappy little thing."

Prompto couldn't help but look offended. The clerk laughed at him. 

"I need you here, alive, to keep the others in line." 

Prompto perked up at that, but quickly shrunk back under the sink as the clerk dug in the small bag he'd brought. He only pulled out a water bottle though, and a granola bar. Prompto got ready to fight back, determined not to be fed. But the clerk just placed it in front of his bound feet, stood, and zipped up his bag. 

"Stay there and be quiet for me. I won't hurt you so long as you behave."

The gunman looked back down at the food and water, a bad feeling tainting his gut as the clerk kicked it another few inches away. Then he turned to leave, chuckling under his breath. The clerk paused. He glanced Prompto over one last time.

"I'd let you see your friends,.. but dumb, bubbly blondes aren't really my type." he shrugged and then slammed the door shut.

Prompto was left both speechless and scandalized. But also feeling a bit sick as he realized the implication of those words. Did that mean Noct, too? How could a normal clerk subdue him? And Gladio? Mind working overtime, Prompto forced himself not to dwell on what that psycho might be doing to them. His friends needed him. He got to work looking for a way to get loose, determined to punch the man in the face and break his nose. 

***

Cindy pulled into Hammer Head, finding Cor already outside with PawPaw. The men were talking under the shade of her grandfather's umbrella. They stopped, looking up and waiting for her as she parked. 

"You wasted no time gettin' here," Cindy greeted him. "PawPaw said you hadn't heard from the boys either?"

"No. All their phones are off and the last contact I had was with Noctis. I should have traveled here sooner," Cor said.

Cindy didn't voice it, but she'd been thinking the same thing. Noctis had talked all kinds of big talk about Cor the Immortal. But the man, whose prince had watched his city burn, had been aiding only hunters ever since the invasion. She wanted to tell him that he should have started driving the moment he heard Ignis went missing. But the man had been helping a group of hunters he'd been staying with. Now all the boys were missing, she wanted to say. 

Cindy took a deep breath, and instead, nodded firmly. 

"The store was closed but an employee was just leavin' the front. He said he didn't see them leave."

"It was probably Harold," Cor recalled, thinking back to Noctis' texts. The prince had kept him updated on Ignis, despite Cor being unable to respond to them for days at a time. Cell service was shitty out in the rough. He'd only just gotten to Hammer Head an hour ago. "He'd been letting them stay there. Did he leave a number?"

"No, he didn't. Waited and watched until I left the lot," Cindy said. "I should have."

"Doesn't matter. If he's still there, we'll ask some questions. But I doubt he'd know much. I'll have more progress investigating the grounds myself," Cor said. 

"You mean, we'll have more progress," Cindy noted. 

"Exuse me?"

"I'm goin' with." She lifted a finger as he opened his mouth. "I know how to fight, Cor. And I don't want to leave you to go missing either."

"You're gonna keep in constant contact with me," Cid warned her. "You too," he pointed to Cor. "If you both go missing, I don't wanna be next. You send me everything you see and keep it updated."

"Will do, PawPaw," Cindy nodded. "Come on, Cor. Let's get our things and go!" 

And Cor, who hadn't expected a traveling companion, could only sigh. Cid whacked him across the back with his cane.

"Get on it!" Cid ordered. 

Cor rubbed his backside, grumbling about old men under his breath as he got moving. 


	13. Chapter 13

Harold couldn't have been happier. He'd felt more alive than he had in years, and it was all thanks to his three new pets. It'd only been the second day since he'd managed to capture both Noctis and Gladio. They still wore their gags, unable to remove them without spitting curses and threats in his face. Ignis was the only one not to do so (but still had a nasty habit of biting if pushed too far.) Already though, Harold was learning how to keep his thumb pressed down on all three. 

For example, he stopped directly punishing the offender, and instead punished someone in their place. Just yesterday, he'd tried letting them eat from their bowls. Harold had been pleased to remove Ignis' gag and hear only silent obedience, but when his pet turned his face from the bowl with a disgusted look, Harold chained him back up and grabbed Noctis. Ignis had immediately reached out for the food, begging behind his gag and bowing his head in submission. 

Harold had smiled wide. Noctis had snorted harshly and tried to head-butt him in retaliation. All it earned his feisty wolf was a smack to the face and his chain hoisted back to his pole. Gladiolus was punished in Noctis' place with a none-too-gentle fingering. Noctis had begged just as Ignis had begged for him. Harold's smile had stayed in place the entire time. 

The three dogs learned not to step on his toes for fear of harming each other. They were still wary and dangerous. Harold knew the path to true loyalty was a long one. But he was a patient man, and the journey was half the fun. Wasn't it?

He was mulling over these sentiments the next day, when he'd returned early in the morning with a bag from the pet store. Harold paused as he passed the trailer, suddenly remembering that he had left the blonde mutt tied up in there. Harold laughed at himself for forgetting, then shrugged, and headed for the convenience store. It's not like the mutt was going to die if left another few hours, he thought. Then Harold paused. He looked at the trailer, at his bag of goods, and grinned. 

Maybe he could use the mutt as a tool. His pets didn't know he had him, and the shock could be a good motivator. Harold liked the idea of them truly fearing what he could do. And right now, he was eager to get back to his fun. Unlocking the cellar door, Harold dropped the bag, making sure to wake up his pets below. He popped his head down the ladder and whistled. 

"Rise and shine, my beautiful wolves!" he said, hopping off the bottom rung. 

The three of them looked like they'd just woken, blinking bleary eyed at him where they were huddled in the dog bed. Harold had went out and gotten a bigger, new one that they could share. The chains clinked together over their bodies as Gladiolus (always the first to try and look intimidating) sat up. He kept the other two always behind him, despite Noctis often trying to look tough too. It always made Harold chuckle, and he looked to them fondly as he showed them the bag. 

"I bought a few new tools for your training," Harold told them.

The statement earned him a low growl from Gladio. Harold didn't reprimand him. He didn't want the beast to know that he actually wanted him to make more animalistic sounds like those. Hearing him growl behind his gag sent an excited twitch through the clerk's belly. He grinned, reached in his bag, and tossed a rubber ball to the ground. It bounced and flew back into his hand. 

"I bought you three some treats," he said, bouncing the ball again and letting it roll to the other end of the room. "A few of them, actually." A bone, a box a peanut-butter treats, a length of twisted rope, and a few more balls. He laid them all out on the ground. 

"If you can be good boys today and follow my commands, you'll earn these privileges." Harold earned himself another low growl, this time from Noctis, who was eyeing the goods like they were poisonous. Ignis, too, was looking on his apprehensive disdain. He cleared his throat as a warning and continued. 

"I also bought a few special items _not_ from the pet store," he said, setting the bag down and letting the threat sink in. "So unless you're curious to see what goodies extra I got, let's begin. Shall we?"

He grabbed a chain from overhead and pulled it. Noctis immediately fought back against the pull of his leash, but his pets had learned not to interfere as he drug him a ways from the other two. He received only a few nasty glares as he stamped the chain down. He did the same with Ignis, and left Gladio alone before the pole. Harold smiled down at his furious gaze. He removed the ball gag, leaving a trail of spit down Gladio's chin. His pet didn't say anything, just silently glared. Ignis had faced the brunt of the punishment yesterday for Gladio's use of some choice, human words. But his pet was learning. 

"We'll start easy, boy," he said, tone sweet. He knelt and held out a hand, one of the rubber balls rolling between his fingers. "Come, take the toy," Harold ordered. 

Gladio seemed to hold in a deep sigh. His large body shifted as if to move, but stalled. Harold shook the ball once more. 

"Come and take it," he said again. Harold heard Noctis' chains shifting. He ignored it. "Gladio. I said come. I won't ask again."

The warning seemed to take affect, because Gladio slowly rose onto all fours and lumbered over, chains snaking around him. He huffed as he stopped at Harold's feet, refusing to look at him or the ball. But Harold knew this was progress, as slow as it was. He shoved the ball closer to the other's lips. 

"Do you not like the gift I got you?" Harold feigned mock hurt. "Because I can always use my other new toys on my dear Noctis. Or maybe my Ignis."

Another thrill ran through the clerk as the fierce eyes finally flickered up to look at him. Gladio seemed to be thrumming with a barely-contained anger. Harold bounced the ball, both very aware of how dangerous his pet's temper was but eager to push it anyway. He shoved the toy closer. 

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Gladio finally opened his mouth. Harold push the ball between his teeth, and his pet reared back a little. But Gladio held the ball, as clumsy as it was, and refused to look anywhere but up. Harold took his chin so he could get a better view of his face. He patted Gladio's cheek. 

"Good boy. Go lay back down."

Gladio tugged from his touch like he was being burnt, and shuffled back to the dog bed, toy still in his mouth. He glared at Harold and dropped it when he got to the pole, as if challenging him to make him pick it up again. Then, Harold picked up the rope toy. He held it out, waved it a little, and told Gladio once more...

"Come. Take the toy."

Gladio's face pinched, and a bit of red flooded his face. Harold been expecting some form of resistance though. So when he asked again, and Gladio didn't budge, Harold dropped the ball into the bag and shrugged. Gladio's face immediately flipped from anger to surprise to slight worry, and back to anger. His lips twitched as if he wanted to growl. 

"Since you've decided to disobey, we're going to try a new punishment. One we've haven't tried before."

Gladio's eyes flickered over to Ignis, then Noctis, subtly, as if scared to bring attention to them. But he still didn't speak. Harold almost wanted to reward him. Instead, he grabbed Gladio's ball gag and shoved it back around his head, drawing his own chain back so he couldn't move more than a few feet from the bed. Then, he left, bag sitting on the ground. 

***

Prompto whined for the hundreth time behind his gag, desperate for the food and water just out of his reach. It'd been a few days of laying tied up under the sink, and he'd lost most feeling in his arms. His ankle was constantly throbbing with a deep-seated ache, and he couldn't use his feeth to kick the bar and water to him. It was so fucking close! But he'd lost the urge to cry and freak out a while ago. He just felt sick. 

Then, the handle jiggled as the door unlocked. Prompto heard the heavy footfalls of the clerk make his way down the hall and opened up the bathroom. Prompto stared at him, heart rate picking up a few notches. He mumbled a desperate plea behind his gag, head shifting to the bottle. the clerk laughed, stooped to grab the bottle, and knelt beside the gunman as he unscrewed the lid. A thick finger pulled down the gag, ripping tape from his cheeks. Prompto swallowed a deep breath, shakily drinking the offered water. The clerk pulled back, laughing at his weak whine. 

"Now, now, you'll get more. You hungry?" he asked, taking the granola bar.

Prompto didn't want to eat out the man's hand. But his tongue felt thick and gross. His heart beat was making it hard to hear anything properly. He felt a little sick from drinking too fast. So he just took a small bite, swallowed, and pulled back to level the man with a scrutinizing look. 

"Where are my friends?" he asked. 

The clerk tossed the bar to the side. Prompto tried to ignore how it fell near the tub, away from his reach. 

"That doesn't concern you. All you need to do, is shut up, sit still and stay alive. Got it?" 

"No. I don't 'got it'." Prompto's fear flared a little into anger. "What did you do to them?"

"Like I said, nothing for you to be worrying about."

Then he withdrew a dagger - one thinner, and longer than Ignis' own set. Prompto's eyes widened and he tried to kick out, groaning in pain as his ankle shifted. The clerk laughed at him, roughly grabbing his hair and cutting off a thick lock of blonde. The held it up to examine it, then tucked it into his front pocket. 

"I'll be back to feed you in a few days," he said. 

Prompto pulled harder, feeling desperation claw in his chest. Fuck! He couldn't sit here another few days! He couldn't do it! But the clerk only laughed at him, and stood, taking the water with him. Suddenly, they both hear the sound of a car door slam shut. Prompto immediately opened his mouth (and though his voice was hoarse from disuse) screamed for help. The clerk was just as fast and shoved a palm over his mouth, smothering the sounds. Prompto found himself fighting back against the rag and tape. The man patted his face, making sure the tape was glued nice and tight to his skin.

"Shut up and be quiet."

Prompto refused. He thrashed as hard as he could, pain blooming in his leg. He ignored it, able to push the rag enough with his tongue to peel off the used tape halfway. The clerk punched him in the side of the head a few times. Prompto went quiet, head drooping, eyes closed and blood slipping past the slight opening in his gag.

Harold huffed and put it back on, hurriedly leaving everything where it was as he ran out of the bathroom to peek out the window. He cursed. That blonde woman and another man were here. He fumed, playing with the dagger in his hand as they approached the store. He saw them look into the windows, pausing to talk to one another. Harold fingered the blade more carefully, thinking. He looked back at his unresponsive captive and felt a rush of anger. He made sure to stamp it down, replace his grimace with a smile and set the blades back under his coat. He couldn't let them find out about his pets.


	14. Chapter 14

Prompto passed in and out of consciousness. His head was actually killing him, and he thought for a moment that a piece of his skull might be lodged in his brain. He recalled only fuzzy snippets of the clerk striking him after he heard someone's door shut closed. It must have been Cindy. The blood running from his mouth was still fresh. Droplets were gathering on his chest, and Prompto realized they might still be out there. A terror that the clerk could do something to her brought a bit more clarity to his head.

He pulled weakly at his wrists, breath ragged. The duct tape around his mouth was only hastily put back on, and the flap tickled his cheek as it fluttered. Prompto snatched at it with his teeth, pain burning in his jaw and he spit it out. Mouth free, he forced his head up and under the pipe. The smell of rust and mildew made his head ache worse, but he began gnawing at his bonds desperately. 

_Oh fuck, oh fuck,_ he kept repeating in his head. _Please just... just break!_

There was a tear. Prompto's heart almost gave out. He pulled back again on the bonds. Another tear echoed around the small bathroom, and Prompto nearly cried in relief as he fully snapped the front in half. He lowered his arms with a hiss, unable to lower them fully. His muscles screeched at him for being up so long. But Prompto didn't have time to even try untying his ankles. The door to the trailer swung open. Panic set in as his shaky hands tried to put the broken seal of tape back around his wrists. He made it so the tear faced the wall, then forced his shaky arms to stay up. Fuck it hurt. Prompto prayed that the clerk wouldn't notice. 

The bathroom door swung open. Prompto cringed away, blinking blearily. The clerk looked pissed off. He saw Prompto's gag was gone. 

"You little shit. Everyone's causing me problems today," the clerk bent down. Prompto nearly yanekd his arms down, but held them up, face inches from his captor's as the man practically spit in his face. "I don't need it from you too. And the next time the gag is gone, I'm cutting off your tonuge." 

New tape was plastered over his mouth. The clerk slapped it on none too gently, then kicked the bottle and granola bar farther away. He made to close the door, then puased and looked over his shoulder. The clerk's gaze eyed his hands, and Prompto internally panicked. 

"A fuckin' finger might work better than hair..." the clerk muttered to himself. 

Prompto's eyes widened. The clerk finally cracked a smile at that and barked a bitter laugh. 

"Don't worry. Unless the others cause me too much trouble, you can keep all ten. But don't push me, mutt."

The door slammed shut. Prompto breathed harshly, trying to stop his body from shaking. He kept his arms up, even as the trailer door shut and minutes stretched over each other. When it seemed that the clerk wasn't going to catch him in the act, the gun man's arms lowered down and eased into his lap. He waited until the pain faded to move. 

***

Cindy wasn't happy. She glared at Cor as he took off out the parking lot. Harold was watching them go, again, the man having been rather short with them this time around. He told Cindy the same thing he'd said before. 

"I told you we'd get nothin' outta him. We should take on our own investigation into the woods!" she said. 

"I know," Cor said, eyes on the road. He glanced in the rear view mirror, watching the store disappear into the trees. "I wanted to talk to that man personally. Something doesn't feel right about him. And did you notice his fingers?"

Cindy thought about it. "Besides that ugly ring?"

"Bite marks. He had bite marks on his fingers. And their was a bit of bruising on his neck."

"What you're sayin' is...?"

"What I'm saying, is I think we need to head up there without him knowing. The store is closed, and yet you've caught him here twice in the last few days. I have a gut feeling about him, is all."

Cindy nodded once resolutely. "Same. You saw how he was eyeing the trailer behind us?"

Cor nodded. "We should break in there tonight."

Cindy beamed widely. She'd been thinking the same thing. "You think we'll find anything?"

"Only one way to find out."

***

Ignis slouched from the pole, cold and tired and anxious from waiting for Harold. He'd been gone almost a half-hour now. Gladio and Noct were pulling at their bonds (Gladio more aggressive), but saw how futile it was. His neck still ached from pulling against his chains for hours on end. Being unable to communicate verbally with the two of them made the whole thing a million times worse. 

_"Immhmm!"_

Ignis looked up. Noctis was looking at him, trying to say something from behind his gag. The prince had tried to get his attention almost every time Ignis felt himself wilt. He knew Gladio got upset with how easy he seemed to cave to Harold's whims, but he'd been beaten down a whole week before they even got here. Ignis looked Noctis in the eye, used to (unfortunately) their collective nudity. He simple shook his head, trying to tell the prince to not make more fuss. Who knew what Harold's punishment was going to be. 

They didn't have to wait long to find out. The clerk hopped down from the cellar door, completely bypassing the steps as he let the hatch slam closed behind him. He looked more pissed off than he had when he left. 

"Looks like that friend of yours is snooping around. The slut in yellow. She's been asking about you, pets."

Noctis' head snapped up at that. Ignis could see the gleam of hope in his angry eyes. Gladio's attention was purely rage. One driven by his worry for Cindy. None of them wanted to see her hurt. 

"She had some man with her. He looked like a hunter, and I didn't want to take my chances getting rid of them..." Harold seemed to be talking to himself. Pacing back and forth, his gaze swept over his pets. "Doesn't matter. I knew we'd have to leave eventually. I've had plenty of good years at this store, but a new chapter in my life is here. I need to find somewhere secluded. Somewhere safe to train you all."

Ignis didn't like the sound of that. His heart felt too light, too airy, like it might slip from his chest and float away. He tried to catch Noctis or Gladio's eyes, just to ground himself, but they were busy glaring daggers at their captor. Harold eyed them and laughed.

"You've caused trouble, you two, since I've caught you. You've made Iggy a little more resistant too." Harold earned himself a growl. "I expect that behavior to change starting today. Noctis. Gladiolus. Do you understand?"

Neither relented. They looked like dogs with their hackles raised. It made Harold smile, and a bad feeling bloomed in Iggy's gut. Harold reached into his front pocket, and extracted a few locks of hair pinched between thumb and forefinger. Ignis gasped behind his gag. Noctis and Gladio both stiffened, eyes feigning shock. Harold waved the hair before them. 

"Next time, I'm taking his finger. Your friend is safe, so long as you do what I say, when I say it. Understood?"

This time, Noctis nodded, eyes shining bright with the promise of Harold's death. Gladio wasn't budging. It looked down right murderous. Harold dropped the hair, letting them flutter around him as he snatched up the discarded bag. Gladio raised his head, still growling behind his gag, arms tensing in what Ignis knew was a few seconds from trying to fight. Terrified of what Harold could do to both Gladio or Prompto, Ignis sidled up on his knees and whined loudly. He caught Harold's attention, then dropped his head in a low bow like he knew the man liked. He heard Gladio thrash against his chains a bit more earnestly, muffled words too incomprehensible to understand. He was shouting at Ignis, and the adviser flushed with shame. 

"I see we have one sensible one here," Harold said, the emotions in his voice calming. "I'm not having a good afternoon, so I'm going to let you decide how punishments should be doled out, Ignis."

Ignis started at that, looking worriedly at his companions and back up. Harold knelt down and dropped the bag before him. Then he took Ignis' chin in his hands and held his face rigid. The gag was released. Ignis felt a stream of drool leave his lips and drip down his chest. Harold's fingers hesitated before stroking his face, as if judging if he'd be bitten again. 

"Good boy. Now, I'm gonna let you use human words just this one. I have three punishments in this here bag. One, two, and three. One being the most severe, and three being the most lax. Choose who gets what."

"W-what?" Ignis' voice was hoarse. He felt disgusting and cold. "Pick?"

The grip on his face tightened. Harold shook him a little. "Don't ask questions. Pick. One being the most severe, who gets what punishment."

Ignis' eyes flailed, trying to look somewhere other than the revolting man before him. But he simply earned another shake and it seemed to rattle the first answer out of him.

"I get one!"

A hand trailed up his ribs, making him shiver. Harold looked pleased. "I expected nothing less. And who gets two?"

Tears welled in Ignis' eyes. He didn't want to choose. He couldn't. "I... me. I get two."

Harold blinked, not expecting the answer. He laughed abruptly. "I suppose I didn't put rules in place against it. And three?"

"...me..."

Harold gave him a kiss, and shoved the ball gag back on. "So my dear wolf wants to take all the punishments? Protect his friends, is that right? Alright, Ignis, on all fours."

There were protests behind him. Ignis couldn't bear to even look at them. He just kept his head down, falling to his hands and letting Harold unlatch his chains from the pole. He was walked to the middle of the room and made to face both Noct and Gladio. Harold lifted his chin and told him to keep watching them. He ordered the others to do the same, hinting that things would get worse for Ignis if they didn't. 

Ignis caught Gladio's eyes and saw fury there. It was hard not to imagine it being directed at him, for his cowardly behavior. But then Gladio's expression softened and bit and he gave Iggy a subtle nod. The same one they shared on the battlefield when things got rough, but they had each other's backs. Ignis nodded back, almost squawking as a finger thrust inside of him. Harold leaned over his back, breath hot on the nape of his neck. Gladio looked furious again. Ignis's eyes searched the room, refusing to look there again. Harold grabbed his neck and stilled his head. 

"Prompto was his name, yeah?" Harold muttered in his ear. "If you'd like, he can take the punishments instead. Eyes forward."

Ignis whined as he did as he was told, finding Noctis' gaze with shame. The prince was shaking in visible anger, but he appeared more calm than Gladio. He had fallen into a steady glare, lips set in a thin line and eyes hard. There was wetness there too, as he watched. That hurt Ignis the most, more than the fingers thrusting into him. Harold spit down there, adding another finger. Ignis bite against the burn, rocking with the motion. Harold then reached over to drag the bag closer, pulling out something Ignis couldn't see. Something was strapped to his thigh. Then, something round was pressed up against his hole. He clenched on instinct, groaning as the object was forced inside. There was something small, like wire, coming from the other end where it attached to the thigh strap. 

"This is number three," Harold said. His fingers played with the wire before he pressed on something. The toy inside him vibrated to life, buzzing and filling the room with a hum. Ignis jerked, the high setting sending jolts up and down his spine. He bared through it as Harold dug back into the bag. This time, he withdrew a black bar that sloped slightly upward in its center. A strap was hanging from the middle, and two chains at the ends. The chains were linked to black leather cuffs, which Harold set to work strapping around Ignis' ankles. 

"This is number two, a personal favorite," Harold said. "I'm happy to see you in it."

Ignis felt his tears grow more heavy, threatening to break free. He fought them back as hard as he could, sucking in a sharp breath as the bar was pressed to his ass and the middle strap slipped around his balls. Harold fondled them while he tightened the band, locking them in place. He couldn't straighten his legs, unless he risked tugging at his own balls. Humiliation reddened his face. 

Harold tugged the chains and smirked. "Very nice. I'm feeling better already."

He reached back for the bag and produced the final item. Ignis' eyes widened as he got a quick look. He found Gladio's eyes, irrationally hoping the shield could do something. He saw Gladio's face crumple, the man still struggling while Harold pressed the cold metal under the side of his dick. Ignis hissed. It was some kind of cock cage. As Harold unlatched it and placed the metal around the top of his dick, he felt the pricks of something sharp in the head casing. He jerked and tried to move. Harold pressed a hand to the back of his neck, shoving his face into the floor to keep him still. The cock cage latched closed, tightening as tiny spikes dug into the sensitive flesh. Ignis shook his head, the discomfort biting and constant. The buzzing in his ass wasn't helping. 

"How's that feel, Iggy?" Harold asked, rubbing up and down his body. "You're such a good boy, taking your punishments so well."

Noctis shouted something behind his gag. He thrashed some more, but his body was worn and tired like the rest of them. He and Gladio could only watch as Ignis was made up walk back on all fours to his pole, chained up and left with the toys inside. Harold gave him a severe warning. Take them out or turn off the vibrator, and it was his friends who'd get them in return. Ignis had nodded, mute, and stiffly wedged himself against the pole. He couldn't look up at anyone in the room. Not when Harold finally left, or as Gladio and Noctis tried to get his attention. All he could focus on was the burning shame and the hum of the vibrations. 


	15. Chapter 15

Prompto peered out the window of the camper. His leg throbbed terribly beneath him. He had just tor himself free of his bindings, the water bottle drained and the granola bar in his hand. He shoved the last few bites into his mouth as he watched the convince store. He wasn't sure if the clerk was staying there or somewhere in the woods, but based on the fact that the store was the only place Gladio and Noctis failed to investigate, left Prompto with a pretty good idea of where the clerk went. 

Had the regalia been working, or his phone left with him, Prompto would have gotten a hold of Cor by now. He gulped, and knew that he was the only person around able to help. And with his broken foot.... Prompto shook his head and tried to summon his gun again. The same result as last time; nothing. Prompto grabbed the crutch and hobbled over to the door. He unlocked the latch and peeked his head out. But he got too nervous that the clerk would suddenly appear, and shrunk back inside. He sat behind the door with a kitchen knife, waiting for one of two things. For darkness to fall, or the clerk to return. Hours stretched on and the sun slowly began to set. 

With a crutch in under an arm, and a shaky knife in the other, Prompto exited the camper and hobbled across the lot. His heart hammered. The store was bright and the windows were large. His eyes darted back and forth, waiting for the clerk to see him. He let out a breath of relief when he pressed his back to the dumpster at its side, sliding to his ass and calming himself. The nearly screamed when he heard the bell of the store chime. Prompto glanced around furiously and saw the clerk walking by the lot. The man was talking to himself, and Prompto could only just catch a glimpse of the words. 

_"...tomorrow.... can't wait...."_

Prompto tucked himself further behind the dumpster just as the clerk's head beams came on. He backed out with his car and took off from the lot. Prompto gave himself only a few minutes respite before clambering to the window and raising the handle of the knife. He couldn't break the glass (and felt kind of dumb as the handle bounced off harmlessly.) 

"Well shit, what else..."

Prompto glanced over to the half-smashed cart that had been thrown against the trash. It took more effort than it should have, but a sweaty, shaking Prompto left a hole in the window and the cart sliding across tile and broken shards. Prompto stepped in carefully. The glass cut at his bare feet, and he grit his teeth. He was already leaving blood drops in his wake. His stomach ached as he passed by all the shelves, but his mind was racing and his gaze was wandering, looking for any sign of his friends. 

"G-guys!?" Prompto's voice was shaky and low. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Noctis? Gladio? Ignis? Guys, you here?"

He stumbled around, pausing when he thought he heard shouting. He shook his head. Prompto was sure he was imagining it.... but... his ears lead him closer to the front counter. He leaned over the table top. The muffled sounds were real, he realized. They were faint, though. Prompto lowered himself behind the counter and pressed an ear to the floor. His heart flitted, blood almost too loud to hear past. He tore the rug away and found a cellar door. His blood seemed to stop pounding and ran cold. 

There was a lock on the frame. He tugged at it, foolishly trying to break it with his hands. He searched the counter and under every nook and cranny he could reach. He banged on the cellar door when he couldn't find a way in. 

"Hello? Guys?" Prompto pressed an ear to the floor again. He wasn't sure if it was them, but it was _something._

It sounded like people were trying to shout for help but couldn't. He lifted himself up and scrambled to his feet. He found a plunger near the restroom and tried using the handle. It was too round to wedge in between the cracks, so he smashed it against the counter a few times until it snapped in half. He slotted the sharp end in and used his weight to press down. The door opened and pulled taut with the lock. Prompto kept pushing. The metal in the chains bent a little in the middle. He grit his teeth and pushed harder. Then the stick end broke in half and he fell forward, his hand getting caught in the door as it snapped shut. 

"Oh fuck! Fuck, that hurts!" Prompto tried to pull back, but three of his fingers were wedged tight in the cracks. They hurt like hell, and he was sure they'd just been broken. For a moment, though, he swore he heard the guys' voices down there. "Ah, shit. Uh, if that's you down there, don't worry! I'm getting this door open!" 

Prompto wasn't sure he could keep that promise, because suddenly head beams turned onto the store. The lights arced over the counter and Prompto paled. He tried to pull his hand free but he couldn't do it. The lights turned off and he heard footsteps running up the concrete and over the glass. His free hand flailed out and grabbed the broken handle. He held the sharp point out and held his breath. The footsteps came closer. All he could do was hide under the counter and pray to Shiva. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh, who could that be?


End file.
